JP2003153453A - Small-sized electrical apparatus, data processing system using the same and battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily grasp information relating to a battery residual capacity of a secondary battery 11 without checking the display of a small-sized electrical apparatus 3, in the small-sized electrical apparatus 3 like a portable telephone using a secondary battery 11 to serve as a power source for driving a functional means 5. SOLUTION: A battery capacity detection means 2 is provided to grasp the present capacity of a secondary battery 11 in real time. Signal information 7 relating to the detected battery capacity can be communicated through a communication means 1 to an external equipment 8 like a personal computer device of pocket type. A display relating to the battery residual capacity is performed in a side of this external equipment 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable small electric device such as a mobile phone and a portable information device, a data processing system using a plurality of such small electric devices, and a battery pack used for each small electric device. In particular, the present invention relates to a device capable of detecting a capacity change of a built-in secondary battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the display of the remaining amount of a battery in a small electric device of this kind, the battery voltage of a secondary battery provided as a power source is detected, and the current capacity of the battery is determined according to the battery voltage. It was common to display multiple stages on a display provided on the main body case.

[0003]

However, a mobile phone is often stored in a bag or the like except during a call involving conversation. Furthermore, in recent years, it has been possible to download data such as music using a mobile phone, but such operation requires a relatively long time, and as a result of continuing operation without noticing that the battery capacity has decreased, Without knowing it, there is a risk that the battery capacity will be insufficient and data communication will be interrupted.

The present invention has been made in view of such inconvenience, and is provided with a data communication function with a portable information device which is frequently placed in a chest pocket or the like and whose display is frequently confirmed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable small electric device in which information about the remaining battery level of the small electric device is displayed so that the battery capacity shortage during data processing can be known.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a data processing system capable of performing data processing in which each small electric device is linked by combining a plurality of small electric devices having the above-mentioned functions.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack which is provided with a communication function in the battery pack itself and can obtain information on the battery capacity regardless of the operation of the small electric device.

[0007]

A portable small electric device 3 according to the present invention is used as a mobile phone having a secondary battery 11 as a driving power source, as shown in the schematic overall structure of FIG. Functional means 5 such as a data communication function, and a secondary battery 11
The battery capacity detection means 2 is capable of detecting a capacity change such as the remaining capacity in the above, and the communication means 1 is capable of passing data between the external equipment 8 having a data processing function.

Then, the notification information 7 relating to the battery capacity detected by the battery capacity detection means 2 can be sent to the external device 8 via the communication means 1.1a, and the external device 8 side changes the received notification information 7 into the received notification information 7. It is characterized by enabling corresponding data processing.

The notification information 7 is information relating to the remaining battery level, and the external device 7 is provided with a display means 9 and is portable such as a pocket type personal computer device capable of displaying the remaining amount corresponding to the received notification information 7. Information equipment is used.

The notification information 7 can be automatically sent to the external device 8 when a preset condition is satisfied, or sent from the external device 8 side. You may make it transmit according to a command.

Further, there are a plurality of types of functional means 5, and the computing means 6 is capable of calculating the drivable amount when each functional means 5 is driven by the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 11 detected by the battery capacity detecting means 2. Further, the notification information 7 including the calculation result of the calculation means 6 can be sent to the external device 8 side via the communication means 1 • 1a.

Further, the secondary battery 11 and the communication means 1 are integrally housed in a battery case 18 to form a battery pack 36 illustrated in FIG. 2, which is detachably connected to the main body case 12 of a small electric device. It is also possible to configure so that. Further, in the battery case 12, the battery capacity detecting means 2 and
The storage means 4 capable of storing the information on the battery capacity detected by the battery capacity detection means 2 can be housed at the same time.

[0013]

As described above, the present invention is provided with a data communication function with an external device 8 such as a pocket type personal computer which is put in a chest pocket or the like for display confirmation, and can be used on the external device. By performing various data processing operations such as displaying information on the remaining battery level of the small electrical device 3, it is possible to easily grasp the lack of battery capacity during data processing of the small electrical device 3 and to take appropriate measures. You can easily.

Further, according to the present invention, by combining a plurality of small electric devices having the above-mentioned functions, it becomes possible to perform data processing in which each small electric device is linked.

Further, according to the present invention, since the battery pack itself is provided with a communication function, information on the battery capacity can be exchanged by the battery pack alone regardless of the operation of the small electric device.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION As illustrated in FIGS.
An example in which the present invention is applied to a data processing system using the mobile phone 10 and the pocket-type personal computer device 50 as a small electric device will be shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the secondary battery 11 is used.
It is needless to say that the same can be applied to various small electric devices using as a driving power source.

The mobile phone 10 has a flat rectangular box-shaped main body case 12 on the front side, as shown in FIG.
A display unit 15 including a display screen 13 formed by a liquid crystal display plate and a speaker 14, and an operation unit 17 including a keyboard 33 and a microphone 34 are provided. Further, on the back side, a battery pack 36 in which the secondary battery 11 is built in the battery case 18
Is detachably attached via the electrode 35,
The electronic circuits 16 are housed in the main body case 12 and the battery case 18 in a distributed manner.

On the other hand, in the personal computer device 50, a display section 52 formed of a liquid crystal display plate is provided in the center of the front side of a main body case 51 formed in a rectangular box shape of a portable size, and further the display section 5 is provided.
The touch panel 53 that covers the front surface of the display unit 1 and the push button switch 54 that is arranged below the display unit 51 constitute the operation unit 55. Further, the main body case 51 is provided with a control unit 56 that operates by a microprocessor, but since the configuration thereof is substantially the same as that of a conventional personal computer device, only different parts will be described below, and a detailed circuit configuration description will be made. Omit it.

FIG. 3 schematically shows the functions of the electronic circuit 16 built in the mobile phone 10 as hardware. In addition to the transmission / reception section 19 having a basic transmission / reception function as a mobile phone. Various functions to be described later are realized by the control operation using software stored in the control unit 20 and the storage unit 21 having the one-chip microcomputer at the center of control. The basic circuit configuration of the mobile phone is substantially the same as that of the conventional multi-function phone, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the remaining capacity monitor 22 of the secondary battery 11 is provided in the battery case 18 described above so that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 11 can be accurately grasped in real time and detected. Various control operations, which will be described later, can be executed based on the data regarding the remaining battery capacity.

Here, FIG. 4 is a block diagram mainly showing a structure relating to charging / discharging of the secondary battery 11 in the battery case 18 in order to clarify the structure of the battery remaining amount monitor 22 in FIG. The output voltage from the secondary battery 11 is applied to each of the above-mentioned parts via the discharge circuit 24 whose operation is controlled by the control circuit 23, so that the electronic circuit 16 normally operates with the secondary battery 11 as a driving power source. Operate.

Further, 1 output from the commercial AC power supply 25
The commercial AC voltage of 00 to 200 V is converted into a low-voltage DC voltage by the AC-DC converter 26, and then is supplied to the electronic circuit 16 in the main body case 12 via the detachable connector 27 provided on the lower surface of the main body case 12. Is applied.

The DC voltage sent from the outside of the main body case 12 makes it possible to supply drive power to each part of the electronic circuit 16 in place of the secondary battery 11, and at the same time, is charged by the charging circuit 28 controlled by the control circuit 23. By applying voltage to the secondary battery 11 while controlling the voltage and the charging current, the secondary battery can be operated up to a predetermined charging rate while grasping the accurate remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 11 in cooperation with the discharge circuit 24 described above. 11 can be charged.

The battery remaining amount monitoring section 22 includes a charging current sensor 29 that can detect the magnitude of the charging current and a charging circuit 28.
In addition, a discharge current sensor 30 that can detect the magnitude of the discharge current is provided in each of the discharge circuits 24, and a control circuit 23 that controls the entire battery remaining amount monitor 22 is provided. The current remaining battery capacity can be calculated in real time by controlling the charge / discharge amount for the secondary battery 11 based on the above, and at the same time, for example, integrating the detected charge / discharge current.

Further, in the present embodiment, the battery case 18
The memory circuit 31 and the temperature sensor 32 are integrally incorporated therein, and the characteristic information of the battery provided in the memory circuit 31 and the temperature sensor 32 are included.
On the basis of the temperature change information on the surface of the battery according to the above, the battery remaining amount by the above integration is corrected, and the notification information 7 regarding the battery remaining amount can be stored.

Here, the memory circuit 31 is provided with a rewritable memory element such as a flash memory or a RAM backed up by a battery, and it is suppressed to the minimum necessary to enable writing and reading of data with respect to the memory element. Take the circuit configuration.

Further, in the memory circuit 31, battery characteristic information necessary for calculating charge / discharge amount such as load characteristics, temperature characteristics or deterioration characteristics of the unit cells constituting the built-in secondary battery 11 and charge characteristics. The information 7 necessary for estimating the change in the remaining capacity of the battery after the battery case 18 is removed from the main body case 12 as well as during the charging / discharging, like the remaining battery level during discharging and the time at that time. Although included, the memory circuit 31
The configuration and storage contents of are not limited.

On the other hand, the control circuit 23 stores an algorithm for detecting the remaining battery level of the battery. As such an algorithm, when the battery voltage is below the lower limit value, the remaining capacity is set to 0% when the battery is completely discharged, and when the full charge is detected, the remaining capacity is absolutely corrected to 100%. It is calculated by integrating, but the method of detecting the remaining battery level is not limited.

For example, as a method for detecting when the battery is fully charged, there are a method in which the time rate of change of the battery temperature is above a certain set value, and a time in which the battery voltage rises and falls and further falls below a certain set value. The optimum algorithm for the system is adopted, such as a method of changing the battery voltage to a time when the second derivative of the battery voltage with respect to time changes from positive to negative in a region close to 100% charge.

Further, by utilizing the battery characteristic information stored in the storage circuit 31 in the battery case 18, the above-described full-charge detection and charge / discharge amount integration operation is performed for the actually used secondary battery 11. Let me do it. The calculated remaining battery capacity and its time are constantly stored in the memory circuit 31. For example, when the battery case 18 is once removed from the main body case 12 and attached again, the elapsed time during removal is The self-discharge amount is estimated from the discharge characteristics, and the self-discharge amount is subtracted from the battery remaining capacity before the battery case 18 is removed to correct the current capacity.

The present invention has the above-mentioned structure, and further, FIG.
As described above, both the mobile phone 10 and the personal computer 50 are equipped with general-purpose data communication units 37 and 57 that enable data communication in a short-distance wireless state such as "Bluetooth", and data can be exchanged with each other. It is characterized by

Corresponding to data input from the operation unit 55 of the personal computer device 50, predetermined data is sent to the mobile phone 10 side via the data communication unit 57, or from the mobile phone 10 side via the data communication unit 37. The display corresponding to the notification information 7 sent by the user is possible on the liquid crystal display plate of the display unit 52.

For example, the personal computer device 50 side sends a command to the mobile phone 10 requesting the transmission of the notification information 7 regarding the remaining battery level, forcibly, or a predetermined condition such that the remaining battery level falls below the set value. When the above condition is satisfied, the notification information 7 regarding the current capacity of the secondary battery 11 is automatically sent from the mobile phone 10 to the personal computer device 50 side.

Then, when the personal computer device 50 side that has received the notification information 7 judges that the battery capacity of the secondary battery 11 on the mobile phone 10 side is decreasing, for example,
Necessary operations such as data storage processing are performed in conjunction with each other, and an alarm display corresponding to the state of the remaining battery level is displayed on the display unit 52.

Further, the data communication section 37 is connected to the battery pack 36.
Since it is housed integrally inside, the operation of exchanging data with the personal computer device 50 is of course possible during the period of operation as the mobile phone 10 and even when the battery pack 36 is taken out from the main body case 12. The control circuit 23 extracts necessary data from the storage circuit 31, and the data transfer is executed by the battery pack alone.

Next, as functions of the mobile phone 10 realized by using software, the following functions are prepared in addition to the transmission / reception function of the normal mobile phone 10. For example, a function of searching for information by connecting to an Internet line, a function of downloading various information such as music / video or a program to the storage unit 21, a function of executing the information downloaded to the storage unit 21, a purchase of a product or a bank. Although it is a function of performing a predetermined commercial act such as a transaction, the content of the function is not limited.

By the way, the mobile phone 10 generally has, in addition to the basic functions as a mobile phone such as standby reception and voice communication as described above, a data communication operation connected to an Internet line, data download, and music playback. Although additional functions such as recording / playback, image recording / playback, and program execution for games, etc. are provided, the selected function is different because the circuit portion or the CPU usage rate that operates during execution of each function is different. The amount of electric power per unit time required to execute is also different.

However, if the function to be used is specified, the amount of electric power required per unit time is determined, and the time during which the function can be executed can be estimated from the remaining battery level at that time.
Further, in the case of music or video, the time that is a unit such as one song is predicted, and in the case of data download, the time required for downloading is predicted from the communication speed and the number of bytes of data.

Therefore, the portable telephone 10 is further linked with the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 11 grasped by the battery remaining amount monitor 22 as shown in FIG. 5 when executing the above-mentioned functions. The operation corresponding to each of the following modes is performed manually or automatically. Note that each of the following modes can be executed independently or related operations can be performed in conjunction with each other.

The first mode is a "notification mode" that allows the user to know how long the current remaining battery capacity can be continuously executed for the various functions described above.
Is. At that time, in the case of reproducing music or video, in addition to the usable time, the number of reproducible songs is displayed in an intuitive manner. If it is determined that only part of the unit data can be executed, a warning to that effect is also displayed.

In the second mode, when it is determined that the remaining battery capacity is insufficient to execute all the selected functions, the functions that are considered to be less important to execute the functions are sequentially operated. This is a "power saving mode" in which power is saved by stopping or reducing the ability.

For example, the image display on the display unit 15 is basically unnecessary during the reproduction or downloading of music. Therefore, it is possible to extend the operable time by saving power by stopping or decreasing the function in order of importance from the less important operation such as the backlight of the liquid crystal display panel. Of.

The third mode is to replace or charge the secondary battery 11 when the secondary battery 11 cannot continue its operation because the remaining amount of the secondary battery 11 is insufficient before the minimum unit of the selected function is completed. It is a "continuation mode" in which after the operation is completed, the operation is resumed from the interrupted part and completed.

For example, if the data is interrupted during the download, the remaining data is not downloaded from the beginning but can be combined with the already downloaded data.

As the fourth mode, when the user goes out, etc., the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 11 is insufficient to fulfill the function requiring the operation.
When it is determined by, the “charge amount control mode” enables the charge control corresponding to the insufficient charge amount for executing the function.

The handy type personal computer device 5
Further, 0 can be used as a remote control terminal in the case where the mobile phone 10 is housed in a bag or the like and is arranged at a separated position in addition to the display of the remaining amount as described above. In this case, the operation screen corresponding to each operation mode described above is displayed on the display unit 52 on the personal computer device 50 side, and the mobile phone 10 is operated corresponding to the operation of the operation unit 55.
Is remotely operated, or data indicating the operating status of the mobile phone 10 including information on the current capacity of the battery is received and can be displayed on the display unit 52.

The remote control function is effective when the small electric device does not have its own display unit or is small like a CD player. Further, in the illustrated example, an example in which two small electric devices are operated in association with each other is shown, but three or more small electric devices are used to perform predetermined data processing while transferring data between the electric devices. You can also

Also, an example has been shown in which, in addition to the secondary battery 11, the battery level monitor 22 and the data communication unit 1 are housed simultaneously in the battery case 18, but when only the secondary battery 11 is housed, for example, The configuration of the electronic circuit portion that is integrally housed as the battery pack 36 with the secondary battery 11 is not limited.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a basic configuration of a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example in which the present invention is applied to a data processing system including a mobile phone and a personal computer device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an electronic circuit.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a battery remaining amount monitoring unit.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation mode performed using a battery remaining amount monitoring unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 communication means 2 Battery capacity detection means 3 Small electrical equipment 4 storage means 5 functional means 6 computing means 7 Notification information 8 External equipment 9 External device display means 10 mobile phones 11 Secondary battery 12 body case 13 Display screen 14 speakers 15 Display 16 electronic circuits 17 Operation part 18 battery case 19 Transmitter / receiver 20 Control unit 21 Memory 22 Battery level monitor 23 Control circuit 24 discharge circuit 25 Commercial AC power supply 26 AC-DC Converter 27 connectors 28 Charging circuit 29 Charging current sensor 30 discharge current sensor 31 Memory circuit 32 Temperature sensor 33 keyboard 34 microphone 35 electrodes 36 battery pack 37 Data communication unit on mobile phone 50 PC equipment 51 body case 52 display 53 touch panel 54 push button switch 55 Operation part 56 control 57 Data communication section on the personal computer side

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04B 7/26 H04B 7/26 L H04Q 7/32 KV (72) Inventor Dai Hasuda Osamu Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture 1-chome 1-88 F-term in Hitachi Maxell Co., Ltd. (reference) 2G016 CB12 CB21 CB22 CB31 CB32 CC01 CC03 CC04 CC06 CC07 CC13 CC23 CC27 CC28 CE03 CE07 CF06 5G003 AA01 BA01 DA04 EA05 GC05 5H030 AA04 AS14 FF41 5H040K67A13A13 AS BB04 BB21 DD27 DD28 FF18 FF19 FF23 FF32 KK05 KK17

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A portable small-sized electric device having a functional unit that uses a secondary battery as a driving power source, which includes a battery capacity detecting unit capable of detecting a capacity change of the secondary battery and a data processing function. A communication unit that enables data to be exchanged with an external device provided, and sends notification information about the battery capacity detected by the battery capacity detection unit to the external device via the communication unit, A small electric device capable of performing data processing corresponding to the notification information on the external device side. 2. The small electric device according to claim 1, wherein the notification information is information on a battery remaining amount, and the external device includes a display unit to enable a display corresponding to the received notification information. 3. The portable small electric device according to claim 1, wherein the notification information is automatically sent to the external device when a preset condition is satisfied. 4. The small electric device according to claim 1, wherein the notification information is sent in response to a command sent from the external device side. 5. A plurality of types of the function means, and a calculation means capable of calculating a drivable amount when each of the function means is driven by the remaining capacity of the secondary battery detected by the battery capacity detection means. 5. The small electric device according to claim 1, further comprising: a notification information including a calculation result of the calculation means, which can be sent to the external device side. 6. The small electric device according to claim 5, wherein the functional means includes a data communication function as a mobile phone in addition to the communication means. 7. The secondary battery, the battery capacity detecting means, and the communication means are integrally housed in a battery case and are detachably connected to a main body case of a small electric device. The small electric device described in Crab. 8. A battery capacity detection device, comprising a plurality of small electric devices equipped with a functioning means using a secondary battery as a driving power source, wherein each small electric device is capable of detecting a capacity change of the secondary battery. Means, and a communication means capable of exchanging data with each other and other small electrical equipment, the notification information about the battery capacity detected by the battery capacity detection means, other through the communication means A data processing system capable of being sent to a small electric device, while enabling a data processing corresponding to the received notification information on the small electric device side receiving the notification information. 9. The data processing system according to claim 8, wherein the data processing content corresponding to the notification information is a display regarding the remaining capacity of the secondary battery in the small electric device on the sending side of the notification information. 10. A battery pack in which a secondary battery is housed in a battery case and is detachably attached to a main body case of a small electric device, the external device having a data processing function in the battery case. A battery pack characterized by being integrally provided with a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving data between the two, and being capable of sending notification information about the battery capacity of the secondary battery to the external device via the communication unit. . 11. The battery case further can store a battery capacity detecting means for detecting a capacity change of the secondary battery, and information on the capacity of the secondary battery detected by the battery capacity detecting means. 11. The battery pack according to claim 10, further comprising: storage means for transmitting the notification information stored in the storage means to the external device side through the communication means. 12. The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein the notification information is automatically sent to the external device when a preset condition is satisfied. 13. The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein the notification information is transmitted in response to a command from the external device side.