JP2009089526A - Portable electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable electronic apparatus that reduces the size of a case while preventing increase in power consumption as much as possible, and informs the lifetime of a battery pack to a user without increasing the circuit scale. <P>SOLUTION: Information of the use situation (number of charging times (time) and number of discharging times (time)) of a battery charger 32 is stored in a storage section 42 and when the number of charging times (time) and the number of discharging times (time) specified beforehand are reached, a determination is made that the lifetime of a battery has reached and an informing section 94 informs the fact. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable electronic device to which a rechargeable battery is attached, and in particular, relates to a portable electronic device that notifies a use state of a rechargeable battery.

  In general, a battery pack used in a portable electronic device is provided with a dedicated connection terminal (ID terminal) for determining whether the battery is a regular battery in addition to a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal.

  This ID terminal is connected to GND via a resistor or a thermistor in a circuit board built in the battery pack. On the portable electronic device side, after the battery pack is mounted, a current is passed through the ID terminal, a voltage generated between the ID terminal and GND is detected, and the battery pack is recognized and identified.

  Further, by defining the size of the battery pack storage part, the battery pack is recognized and identified depending on whether or not it can be attached to the mounting part.

By the way, a battery pack other than a bundled product may be purchased for the purpose of replacing the battery pack. However, when the replaced battery pack is not a regular battery and a counterfeit product or a battery with the same terminal position is accidentally mounted, correct electronic control cannot be performed during charging, which may be dangerous. Therefore, a technique has been proposed in which an IC tag is mounted on a battery pack, communication is performed using RFID, and recognition and discrimination of the battery pack are improved (for example, Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2).
JP 2005-285567 A JP 2005-341775 A

  However, since most battery packs contain materials having magnetic properties such as aluminum and iron, for example, when an IC tag is provided on the main body of the battery pack, noise caused by the magnetic properties of the battery pack, etc. It is necessary to set transmission / reception characteristics in consideration of the above.

  On the other hand, the number of times the battery pack is used (number of times of charging / discharging) is limited, and if the number of times of use exceeds a certain number, the original specification performance cannot be obtained.

  Here, since the battery pack deteriorates as the frequency of use increases, the impedance increases. Therefore, the lifetime of the battery pack can be calculated by measuring the impedance of the battery pack. However, when a circuit for measuring the impedance of the battery pack is provided in the portable electronic device, there is a problem that the circuit scale becomes large and the portable electronic device itself becomes large.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and one of its purposes is to increase the power consumption as much as possible, to keep the size of the housing small, and without increasing the circuit scale. An object of the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device that can notify a user of the life of a battery pack.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a portable electronic device according to the present invention is a portable electronic device having notifying means for notifying various information and a mounting portion on which a rechargeable battery is mounted, Storage means for storing information, writing means for writing information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery to the storage means, and reading information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery attached to the attachment portion from the storage means And control means for causing the notification means to notify information relating to the life of the rechargeable battery when it is determined that the information on the usage status satisfies a predetermined condition.

  The portable electronic device includes an acquisition unit that acquires information on a usage state of the rechargeable battery attached to the attachment unit, and the rechargeable battery has a unique ID (Identification) for identifying the rechargeable battery. An ID information storage area for storing information is provided, further comprising reading means for reading out ID information from the rechargeable battery attached to the attachment portion, wherein the storage means is provided for each rechargeable battery ID information. The control means stores the information on the usage status acquired by the acquisition means in the writing means in association with the ID information of the mounted rechargeable battery. It is preferable to write to.

  In the portable electronic device, the rechargeable battery preferably includes an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip having the ID information storage area, and the reading unit reads ID information from the RFID chip by magnetic field communication. .

  The portable electronic device further includes flag writing means for writing a predetermined flag according to the control of the control means, the RFID chip has a flag storage area for storing the predetermined flag, and the control means When the information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery attached to the attachment part satisfies a predetermined condition, the predetermined flag is written to the flag storage area of the RFID chip by magnetic field communication. It is preferable to control the writing means.

  Moreover, in the portable electronic device, the information on the usage state is information on the number of times of charging and discharging the rechargeable battery, or the charging time and discharging time of the rechargeable battery, and the predetermined condition is the number of times of charging the rechargeable battery and The upper limit number of times of discharging, or the upper limit time of charging time and discharging time of the rechargeable battery, and the control means when the charging number or discharging number of the rechargeable battery mounted on the mounting portion reaches the upper limit number of times. Or when the charging time or discharging time of the rechargeable battery reaches the upper limit time.

  In the portable electronic device, it is preferable that the control unit calculates the number of discharges based on a first weighting coefficient and calculates the number of chargings based on a second weighting coefficient.

  In the portable electronic device, the second weighting coefficient is determined based on an integrated value of the charging time charged by the charging device, and the control means determines whether the time charged by the charging device is a rechargeable battery. After reaching the time required for full charge, it is preferable to calculate the number of times of charging with the second weighting coefficient being constant.

  In the portable electronic device, it is preferable that the first weighting coefficient is determined based on a voltage value obtained before the charging of the rechargeable battery obtained by the obtaining unit.

  In the portable electronic device, the control means may calculate the second weighting coefficient as one when the voltage value of the rechargeable battery when charging by the charging device is less than a certain value. preferable.

  Moreover, in the said portable electronic device, it is preferable that the said control means is started at the time of the start of charge by a charging device, and memorize | stores the cumulative value of the frequency | count of discharge of the rechargeable battery until then in the said memory | storage means.

  The portable electronic device further includes an ID information group storage unit that stores a unique ID information group that certifies that the rechargeable battery mounted on the mounting unit is a genuine product. When the battery is mounted on the mounting portion and the ID information is read from the rechargeable battery by the reading unit, the rechargeable battery is a genuine product depending on whether or not the ID information is stored in the ID information group storage unit. And when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is a genuine product, it is determined whether or not the ID information is already registered in the storage means, and the ID information is not registered in the storage means. When the determination is made, the ID information is preferably registered in the storage means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to notify the user of the life of the battery pack without increasing the circuit scale.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a mobile phone device 1 which is an example of a mobile terminal according to the present invention. In the following, a mobile phone device will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a portable navigation device, a notebook personal computer, or the like. Also good.

  The mobile phone device 1 includes an operation unit side body unit 2 and a display unit side body unit 3. The operation unit side body unit 2 includes an operation key group 11 and a microphone 12 to which a voice uttered by a user during a call is input on the surface unit 10. The operation key group 11 includes a function setting operation button 13 for operating various functions such as various settings, a telephone book function, and a mail function, and an input operation button 14 for inputting a telephone number and characters such as mail. And a determination operation button 15 for performing determination and scrolling in various operations.

  Further, the display unit side body unit 3 is configured to include a display 21 for displaying various types of information on the surface unit 20 and a sound output unit 22 for outputting the voice of the other party of the call.

  Further, the upper end of the operation unit side body 2 and the lower end of the display unit side body 3 are connected via a hinge mechanism 4. In addition, the cellular phone device 1 relatively rotates the operation unit side body unit 2 and the display unit side body unit 3 connected via the hinge mechanism 4, thereby The display unit side body 3 can be in a state of being open to each other (open state), or the operation unit side body 2 and the display unit side body 3 can be in a folded state (folded state).

  1 shows a form of a so-called foldable mobile phone device, but the form of the mobile phone device according to the present invention is not particularly limited to this, and the operation unit side body unit 2 and the display unit side body unit are not limited thereto. A slide type in which one housing is slid in one direction from a state in which the body portion 3 is overlapped, or an axis line along the overlapping direction of the operation portion side housing portion 2 and the display portion side housing portion 3 It may be a rotary type (turn type) in which one housing is rotated around the center.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the operation unit side body 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit side body unit 2 includes a circuit board 30, a rear case unit 31, a rechargeable battery 32 that is a rechargeable battery, and a rechargeable battery cover 33.

  The circuit board 30 is mounted with an element such as a CPU (corresponding to a control block 48 described later) that performs predetermined arithmetic processing, and when the operation key group 11 on the surface portion 10 is operated by the user, A predetermined signal is supplied to the CPU. In addition, a battery terminal 46 described later is mounted on the circuit board 30.

  The rear case portion 31 includes a hinge mechanism fixing portion 31A that fixes the hinge mechanism 4, a main antenna storage portion 31B that stores a main antenna 70 that performs communication in a predetermined use frequency band, and a rechargeable battery storage that stores a rechargeable battery 32. Part 31C.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the mobile phone device 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile phone device 1 includes an operation key group 11, a microphone 12, a display 21, an audio output unit 22, a communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, a power supply circuit 43, and audio processing. A unit 44, a speaker 45, a battery terminal 46, a non-contact reader 47, and a control block 48 for controlling each unit are provided. The battery terminal 46 includes a first terminal 51 and an RFID antenna 52 connected to the non-contact reader 47. Furthermore, the rechargeable battery 32 includes a battery cell 61, an authentication storage unit 62, a non-contact output unit 63, and a second terminal 64.

  Further, when the cellular phone device 1 is placed on a predetermined charging device 80 corresponding to the cellular phone device 1, the connection terminals corresponding to each other of the power supply circuit 43 and the charging device 80 come into contact with each other. The battery cell 61 of the rechargeable battery 32 is charged.

  That is, a charging circuit that connects the charging device 80 and the rechargeable battery 32 is formed in a part of the power supply circuit 43. In addition, the power supply circuit 43 is configured to switch between an ON state and an OFF state of the power feeding operation from the charging device 80 to the rechargeable battery 32 performed by the charging circuit based on a command from the control block 48.

  The communication unit 41 includes a main antenna 70 that communicates with an external device in a predetermined use frequency band, and a communication processing unit 71 that performs signal processing such as modulation processing or demodulation processing. The communication unit 41 is supplied with a power supply voltage from the rechargeable battery 32 via the power supply circuit 43. In addition, the communication unit 41 can be connected to a public communication network via the nearest base station by wireless communication such as the CDMA2000_1x method, for example, as in a general mobile phone device. .

  The memory | storage part 42 is a non-volatile storage medium, Comprising: For example, ID information of 10 rechargeable batteries is memorize | stored with the information of each usage condition. In addition, it is assumed that the content stored in the storage unit 42 is configured such that it cannot be rewritten by the user.

  The power supply circuit 43 converts the power supply voltage supplied from the rechargeable battery 32 into a predetermined voltage, and supplies the converted voltage to each part of the mobile phone device 1.

  The voice processing unit 44 is controlled by the control block 48 and outputs the other party's voice during the call from the voice output unit 22 and performs signal processing on the user's voice input from the microphone 12. Also, the audio processing unit 44 performs, for example, a reproduction process of music data stored in the storage unit 42 and outputs it from the speaker 45.

  The first terminal 51 is connected to the second terminal 64 of the rechargeable battery 32, and supplies the power supply voltage supplied from the battery cell 61 to the power supply circuit 43.

  In the rechargeable battery 32, as shown in FIG. 3, an authentication storage unit 62 and a non-contact output unit 63 are connected to each other in a circuit. The authentication storage unit 62 stores ID information unique to each rechargeable battery for each rechargeable battery 32. Specifically, the authentication storage unit 62 has a data area sandwiched between a start bit and a stop bit, and can store serial data including a parity bit for error correction. Further, in the data area, as ID information, ID information unique to the rechargeable battery such as a manufacturing number of the rechargeable battery 32, rechargeable battery type information (lithium ion type, nickel hydrogen type, nickel cadmium type, etc.), Information such as manufacturer type and capacity value is stored in a serial string. Although details will be described later, a flag storage area in which a predetermined flag can be written is provided in the data area.

  Further, the non-contact reader 47 performs non-contact (wireless) communication with the non-contact output unit 63 via the RFID antenna 52 by the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology according to the control of the control block 48. The ID information stored in the authentication storage unit 62 of the rechargeable battery 32 can be read.

  That is, even when the rechargeable battery 32 is attached to the mobile phone device 1, the non-contact reader 47 and the non-contact output unit 63 are not directly connected to the circuit, but when it is detected that the rechargeable battery 32 is attached, first, the control block 48 rises in the background (without display or sound), and the contactless reader 47 starts wireless transmission of an authentication request based on the command of the control block 48. The non-contact output unit 63 receives the authentication request signal from the non-contact reader 47 without receiving the power supply from the battery cell 61 in the rechargeable battery 32, so that the operating power is generated by electromagnetic induction. Is used as a power source to read ID information stored in the authentication storage unit 62 and wirelessly output it to the non-contact reader 47.

  Next, the battery terminal 46 and the configuration around it will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the battery terminal 46 includes a main body 50 formed of an insulator such as resin, a first terminal 51 (negative electrode terminal 51a, positive electrode terminal 51b), and a mounting pin 53 (negative electrode terminal 53a, communication). A terminal 53b and a positive terminal 53c). 4A shows a perspective view of the battery terminal 46, FIG. 4B shows a view when the battery terminal 46 is viewed from directly above, and FIG. 4C shows the battery terminal 46. It is a figure when seeing from right side.

  Each of the first terminals 51 (the negative terminal 51a and the positive terminal 51b) is provided so as to protrude from the main body 50 of the battery terminal 46, and has an elastic body such as a spring inside, and is configured by a cylindrical metal body. Moreover, the elasticity which can be expanded-contracted in the burying direction with respect to the protrusion direction is attached | subjected. The direction in which the first terminal 51 (the negative terminal 51a and the positive terminal 51b) protrudes and the axial direction of the RFID antenna 52 (that is, the direction in which the antenna directivity as a loop antenna is excellent) are also substantially coincident. .

  Further, in the main body 50, a cylindrical space and a columnar boss having a slightly smaller radius than the cylindrical space are formed coaxially within the space. In this cylindrical space, an RFID antenna 52 that is configured as a loop antenna so that a metal wire is wound around a cylindrical boss is attached and enclosed in a main body 50.

  The mounting pin 53 includes a negative terminal 53a and a positive terminal 53c through which the first terminals 51 (negative terminal 51a and positive terminal 51b) are connected, a communication terminal 53b through which the hot-side end of the RFID antenna 52 is connected, have. In particular, the negative terminal 53a is a ground terminal, and both the negative terminal 51a and the cold-side end of the RFID antenna 52 are connected to reduce the number of mounting pins. The battery terminal 46 is soldered to a corresponding land pad in the wiring pattern of the circuit board 30 so that the plurality of mounting pins 53 can be conducted to the power supply circuit 43 of the pattern of the circuit board 30. Fixed. That is, the battery terminal 46 is mounted in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the circuit board 30.

  Next, the configuration of the connection terminal of the rechargeable battery 32 to which the battery terminal 46 is connected will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The battery cell 61 occupies most of the volume of the rechargeable battery 32, and has a second terminal 64 (positive terminal 64 a and negative terminal 64 b) for transmitting power to the battery cell 61. Further, the positive terminal 64 a and the negative terminal 64 b are electrically connected to the battery cell 61 via the protection circuit 65. The protection circuit 65 is formed on a small substrate, and the positive terminal 64 a and the negative terminal 64 b are mounted on the small substrate, and the small substrate is arranged on the end surface in the longitudinal direction of the battery cell 61. It is fixed to the battery cell 61 by a resin mold or the like.

  The positive electrode terminal 64 a and the negative electrode terminal 64 b are exposed at the end surface in the longitudinal direction of the rechargeable battery 32. In addition, an RFID chip 67 in which a non-contact output unit 63, an authentication storage unit 62, and a small loop antenna 66 are integrated is arranged at each of the positive terminal 64a and the negative terminal 64b.

  As the fixing of the non-contact output unit 63 and the authentication storage unit 62 to the resin mold, it is easy to mount if the non-contact output unit 63 and the authentication storage unit 62 are integrated with the resin mold after being fixed in advance to a small substrate. When fixing to a resin mold, the non-contact output part 63, the authentication storage part 62, and the small substrate can be molded at low temperature and low pressure so that the heat and pressure do not break down. Polyamide resin, polyurethane resin or polyolefin It is preferable to mold with a resin.

  Alternatively, the RFID chip 67 may be attached after the electrode and the small substrate are molded with respect to the battery cell 61 and the integration is completed. The surface of the rechargeable battery 32 is usually attached with a moisture detection sticker (adhesive submergence detection seal) that is a sheet that changes color when moisture adheres to it for discrimination when a failure or the like occurs. Even when the RFID chip 67 is configured to be bonded to the molded resin portion at the time of bonding, workability is very good.

  The RFID chip 67 has a small loop antenna 66, and the antenna directivity coincides with the longitudinal direction of the rechargeable battery 32. That is, the small loop antenna 66 is formed by winding dozens of fine metal wires in a spiral shape, and the direction of the winding axis is a surface on which the positive electrode terminal 64a and the negative electrode terminal 64b of the rechargeable battery 32 are exposed. The RFID chip 67 is fixed to the battery cell 61 so as to coincide with a direction orthogonal to the battery cell 61.

  Thereby, when the 1st terminal 51 (negative electrode terminal 51a, positive electrode terminal 51b) of the battery terminal 46 contact | abuts to the 2nd terminal 64 (positive electrode terminal 64a, negative electrode terminal 64b) of the rechargeable battery 32 (FIG.7 and FIG.7). 8), the axial direction of both the RFID antenna 52 in the battery terminal 46 and the small loop antenna 66 in the rechargeable battery 32 are coaxial, so that the directivity of each antenna is in the best positional relationship. Composed.

  A magnetic sheet 68 including ferrite or the like is disposed on the back surface of the RFID chip 67 (the surface facing the inside of the rechargeable battery 32). Therefore, the magnetic sheet 68 is interposed between the non-contact output unit 63 and the battery cell 61 or the small substrate. The magnetic sheet 68 may be bundled at the time of low-temperature and low-pressure molding to improve workability, or the magnetic sheet 68 may be attached in advance to the back surface of the RFID chip 67 when the submerged seal is attached. . Thus, by interposing the magnetic sheet 68, the magnetic field communication between the RFID antenna 52 and the small loop antenna 66 is not adversely affected by the battery cell 61, the communication quality between the antennas is improved, and the transmission output Even if it is low, highly accurate communication can be performed. Thereby, the power consumption of the mobile telephone apparatus 1 accompanying the magnetic field communication by applying this invention can be reduced. Moreover, since the adverse effect from the battery cell 61 can be suppressed by interposing the magnetic sheet 68, it is not necessary to physically separate the battery cell 61 and the small loop antenna 66, and the rechargeable battery 32 can be reduced in size. It is also possible to make it.

  In addition, since the rechargeable battery 32 to which the present invention is applied has the RFID chip 67 that can output battery information in advance, it is very convenient in terms of inventory management, and is advantageous not only in productivity but also in inventory management. Therefore, it also leads to lower product costs.

  Next, a procedure for attaching the rechargeable battery 32 to the rechargeable battery storage 31C of the operation unit side body 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a part of a cross section of the battery terminal 46 along the straight line PP in FIG.

  In the rear case portion 31 that is a casing piece, a rechargeable battery storage portion 31C is formed in a concave shape outside the casing.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the first terminal 51 is in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction of the battery terminal 46 and in a direction substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the rechargeable battery storage unit 31 </ b> C and the mounting surface of the circuit board 30. It protrudes. The negative terminal 51a and the positive terminal 51b of the first terminal 51 are provided side by side in a direction orthogonal to the protruding direction and parallel to the bottom surface of the rechargeable battery storage unit 31C.

  In addition, when the rechargeable battery 32 is attached to the rechargeable battery storage part 31C of the rear case part 31, the battery contacts 69 (positive terminal 64a, negative terminal 64b, and RFID chip 67) provided at one end of the rechargeable battery 32 are charged first. After being placed in the battery housing 31C and brought into contact with the first terminal 51, the first terminal 51 is pressed in a direction to be buried in the main body 50, and is opposite to the end provided with the battery contact 69. The rechargeable battery 32 is slid and stored in the rechargeable battery storage 31C while pressing the end.

  Further, when the rechargeable battery 32 is mounted in the rechargeable battery storage unit 31C, the RFID antenna 52 and the small loop antenna 66 are close to each other, and the directivity directions of each other are substantially coaxial.

  In this way, since the rechargeable battery 32 is attached to the rechargeable battery storage unit 31C so that the characteristics of the RFID antenna 52 and the small loop antenna 66 become the best state, for example, both have a sharpness Q value. If it is increased, high-accuracy communication can be performed even if the transmission output is lowered, so that power consumption can be suppressed. It is generally known that the sharpness Q is calculated by the equation Q = R (√C / L).

  Next, the configuration of the control block 48 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, the control block 48 includes a reading unit 91 (reading unit) that reads ID information from the authentication storage unit 62 (ID information storage area) of the rechargeable battery 32, and a mounting unit (hereinafter, rechargeable battery storage unit). Acquired by the acquisition unit 92 based on the ID information of the rechargeable battery 32 read out by the reading unit 91 and the acquisition unit 92 (acquisition means) that acquires information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery 32 attached to 31C. ID information from the writing unit 93 (writing means) that writes information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery 32 to the storage unit 42 and the authentication storage unit 62 of the rechargeable battery 32 that is attached to the rechargeable battery storage unit 31C. The reading unit 91 is controlled to read the information, and the usage status information of the rechargeable battery 32 is read from the storage unit 42 based on the read ID information, and it is determined that the usage status information satisfies a predetermined condition. When And a control unit 95 (control means) for notifying the notification unit 94 information about the service life of the pond 32. Note that the notification unit 94 corresponds to, for example, the display 21 or the speaker 45. The display 21 notifies information related to the life of the rechargeable battery 32 according to the control of the control unit 95. In addition, the speaker 45 notifies information related to the life of the rechargeable battery 32 by sound output under the control of the control unit 95.

  The reading unit 91 corresponds to the non-contact reader 47, and the acquisition unit 92 corresponds to the first terminal 51.

  Next, usage status information and predetermined conditions will be described. The usage status information is, for example, information on the number of times of charging and discharging the rechargeable battery 32 or the charging time and discharging time of the rechargeable battery 32. Further, the predetermined condition is an upper limit number of times of charging and discharging the rechargeable battery 32 (for example, 500 times) or an upper limit time of charging and discharging times of the rechargeable battery (for example, 1000 hours).

  Here, the control unit 95 controls the reading unit 91 to read the ID information from the authentication storage unit 62 of the rechargeable battery 32 attached to the rechargeable battery storage unit 31C, and stores it based on the read ID information. The information regarding the number of times of charging and discharging of the rechargeable battery 32 or the information regarding the charging time and discharging time of the rechargeable battery 32 is read from the unit 42, and when the number of times of charging or discharging reaches the upper limit number of times, or When the upper limit time is reached, information on the life of the rechargeable battery 32 is notified by the notification unit 94.

  Further, the control unit 95 calculates the number of discharges based on the first weighting coefficient X, and calculates the number of chargings based on the second weighting coefficient Y.

  Further, the first weighting coefficient X is determined based on the voltage value before the charging of the rechargeable battery 32 acquired by the acquiring unit 92.

  Further, the second weighting coefficient Y is determined based on the integrated value of the charging time charged by the charging device 80. Further, the control unit 95 sets the second weighting coefficient Y to a constant value (for example, once) after the charging time by the charging device 80 reaches the time required for full charging of the rechargeable battery 32 (for example, 2 hours). Thus, the number of times of charging is calculated. In addition, when the voltage value of the rechargeable battery 32 when charging is started by the charging device 80 is less than a certain value, the control unit 95 sets the second weighting coefficient Y to a certain value (for example, once) and performs charging. Calculate the number of times.

  The control block 48 includes a flag writing unit 96 (flag writing unit) that writes a predetermined flag in the flag storage area of the authentication storage unit 62 of the rechargeable battery 32 according to the control of the control unit 95. May be. The flag writing unit 96 corresponds to the non-contact reader 47.

  The control unit 95 controls the reading unit 91 to read the ID information from the authentication storage unit 62 of the rechargeable battery 32 attached to the rechargeable battery storage unit 31C, and from the storage unit 42 based on the read ID information. When information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery 32 is read and it is determined that the usage status information satisfies the predetermined condition described above, a predetermined flag is written in the flag storage area of the authentication storage unit 62. The flag writing unit 96 is controlled.

  According to such a configuration, for example, after a rechargeable battery that has reached the end of its battery life is collected, even if a rechargeable battery that has reached its end of life is mixed with a rechargeable battery that has not reached its end of life, the RFID reader Can be used to easily distinguish between rechargeable batteries that have reached the end of their battery life and rechargeable batteries that have not reached the end of their battery life by checking the flag written in the flag storage area of the authentication storage unit 62 for the rechargeable battery. Can be done.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the mobile phone device 1 has an ID information group storage in which a unique ID information group that proves that the rechargeable battery 32 attached to the rechargeable battery storage unit 31 </ b> C is a genuine product is stored. Unit 97 (ID information group storage means) is provided. The ID information group storage unit 97 may be configured integrally with the storage unit 42.

  When the rechargeable battery 32 is attached to the rechargeable battery storage unit 31 </ b> C and the ID information is read from the rechargeable battery 32 by the reading unit 91, the control unit 95 stores the ID information in the ID information group storage unit 97. Whether or not the rechargeable battery 32 is a genuine product, and when it is determined that the rechargeable battery 32 is a regular product, it is determined whether or not the ID information has been registered in the storage unit 42. When it is determined that the ID information has not been registered in the storage unit 42, the ID information is registered in the storage unit 42.

  According to such a configuration, even if a plurality of rechargeable batteries are not registered in advance, rechargeable batteries determined to be genuine can be additionally registered sequentially.

  Further, the control unit 95 may be configured to be activated at the start of charging by the charging device 80 and store the accumulated value of the number of discharges of the rechargeable battery 32 in the storage unit 42 until then.

  According to such a configuration, when the mobile phone device 1 is turned off and connected to the charging device 80, the control unit 95 is activated in the background, and the number of discharges accumulated so far in the storage unit 42 is stored. It is possible to write, and it is not necessary to turn on the main power source when updating the number of discharges.

  Here, when the rechargeable battery 32 is a lithium ion battery, generally, the capacity is reduced to about 60% by the charge / discharge operation of about 500 cycles. A state where the capacity is reduced to about 60% is called battery life. Even if the battery has reached the end of its life, it is still usable, but in such a state, the impedance of the rechargeable battery has also increased, making it difficult to achieve the desired performance. It is in a situation. Further, after the capacity reaches less than about 60%, the capacity decreases at an accelerated rate (see FIG. 10).

  Further, when the mobile phone device 1 is not connected to the charging device 80, it is authenticated whether or not the rechargeable battery 32 is a genuine product, and then whether or not the usage status information of the rechargeable battery 32 satisfies a predetermined condition. Next, the operation of the control unit 95 that determines whether or not to notify the battery life information will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the following, it is assumed that the rechargeable battery 32 is attached to the rechargeable battery storage 31C.

  In step S <b> 1, the control unit 95 determines whether or not the power-on operation of the mobile phone device 1 has been performed. For example, the control unit 95 determines the presence / absence of the activation operation based on whether or not the user has operated a key for activating the power source included in the operation key group 11. If it is determined that the power activation operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S2.

  In step S <b> 2, the control unit 95 activates the non-contact reader 47. The non-contact reader 47 starts wireless transmission of an authentication request to the non-contact output unit 63.

  In step S <b> 3, the control unit 95 determines whether the ID information can be read from the rechargeable battery 32 by wireless transmission of the authentication request. If the ID information cannot be read from the rechargeable battery 32, the process proceeds to step S4. If the ID information can be read from the rechargeable battery 32, the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S4, the control unit 95 does not perform information management of the attached rechargeable battery 32. When the ID information cannot be read from the rechargeable battery 32, the controller 95 determines that the rechargeable battery 32 attached to the rechargeable battery storage 31C is not a regular rechargeable battery, and does not perform information management. In addition, when the control unit 95 determines that the rechargeable battery 32 is not a regular product, the control unit 95 may issue a predetermined alarm from the speaker 45 and turn off the power.

  In step S <b> 5, the control unit 95 determines whether or not the read ID information is registered in the storage unit 42. If it is determined that the read ID information is not registered in the storage unit 42, the process proceeds to step S6. If it is determined that the read ID information is registered in the storage unit 42, the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S <b> 6, the control unit 95 newly registers the ID information in the storage unit 42 regarding the mounted rechargeable battery as a genuine battery that has been newly used. The storage unit 42 is a bank memory composed of a plurality of banks, and ID information for each rechargeable battery is registered in each bank. Therefore, the control unit 95 searches for an empty bank and registers new ID information in the empty bank.

  In step S <b> 7, the control unit 95 refers to the storage unit 42 and reads a past use history. Based on the ID information read from the rechargeable battery 32 in the step S3, the control unit 95 reads the usage status information stored in the storage unit 42.

  In step S8, the control unit 95 determines whether or not there is an update condition. If there is an update condition, the process proceeds to step S9.

  Specifically, in the case where the mobile phone device 1 is connected to the charging device 80, the control unit 95 takes into account the first weighting coefficient X determined according to the battery voltage value before the start of charging. The number of discharges is counted, and when the number of discharges occurs, it is determined that there is an update condition. In addition, when the cellular phone device 1 is removed from the charging device 80, the control unit 95 counts the number of times of charging by taking into account the second weighting factor Y determined according to the integrated value of the charging time. If the count of the number of times of charging occurs, it is determined that there is an update condition.

The first weighting factor X is, for example,
(Battery voltage before starting charging → first weighting factor X)
(4.2V or higher → 0 times),
(4.2V → 0.1 times),
(4.0V → 0.2 times),
(3.8V → 0.4 times),
(3.6V → 0.8 times),
(3.4 V or lower → 1.0 times),
It is determined as follows.

The second weighting coefficient Y is, for example,
(Charged time → second weighting factor Y)
(0.4H → 0.2 times),
(0.8H → 0.4 times),
(1.2H → 0.6 times),
(1.6H⇒0.8 times),
(2.0H or higher ⇒ 1.0 times (fully charged)),
It is determined as follows.

  In step S <b> 9, the control unit 95 controls the writing unit 93 to update the storage unit 42 with the number of discharges or the number of charges.

  In step S <b> 10, the control unit 95 calculates the battery life with reference to the number of discharges or the number of charges written in the storage unit 42.

  In step S11, the control unit 95 determines whether or not the battery life has been reached from the battery life calculation result in the step S10. If the battery life has been reached, the process proceeds to step S12. If the battery life has not been reached, the process returns to step 8.

  In step S12, the control unit 95 controls the notification unit 94 to notify the battery life.

  Here, a battery life calculation method will be described. As described above, in the case of a lithium ion battery, the battery life Z is 1000 times (Z = number of times of charge + number of times of discharge = 500 × 1 time (2H) + 500 × 1 time = 1000), including the number of times of charging and discharging. However, if the number of times of charging or discharging exceeds a specified number (for example, 500 times), there is a high possibility that the capacity is reduced to about 60%. In the present invention, the number of times of charging and discharging is counted from the beginning of use of the rechargeable battery, and when the number of times of charging or discharging reaches a specified number of times (for example, 500 times), it is determined that the battery life is reached. Announce battery replacement.

Further, for example, in the case of a rechargeable battery that has been charged for a total of 260 hours, experienced 100 times when the discharge voltage is 3.4 V, and experienced 200 times when the discharge voltage is 4.0 V,
Remaining charge count: 500-260 / 2 = 370
Remaining number of discharges: 500-100 × 1 (3.4V) −200 × 0.2 (4.0V) = 360
Thus, the number of times of charging (time) is 370 times (740 hours), and the number of times of discharging is 360 times. In addition, since there is no significant difference between the charged energy and the discharged energy, there is no extreme difference between the number of times of charging and the number of times of discharging.

  Further, the control unit 95 may notify the notification unit 94 of “remaining 370 times” by indicating the lesser of the remaining number of times of charging and the remaining number of times of discharging.

  Moreover, since there are a long battery life type and a short battery type, it is necessary to set a battery life suitable for each type for each rechargeable battery. Moreover, since the charge time and discharge voltage until it reaches full charge also differ according to the kind of rechargeable battery, it is necessary to set the number of times of charging and the number of times of discharge for each rechargeable battery.

  In the cellular phone device 1, the history of internal overheating (over 65 ° C.) and overvoltage application (4.26 V or more) is also stored and managed in the storage unit 42, and abnormal states such as internal heating and overvoltage application are continued. A configuration may be adopted in which a message notifying abnormality is notified by the notification unit 94 according to time. On the contrary, the history may be left as a flag on the rechargeable battery side.

  Further, when the mobile phone device 1 is replaced with another mobile phone device 1, the ID information of the rechargeable battery 32 stored in the storage unit 42 of the mobile phone device 1 using infrared communication or the like. Is copied to the storage unit 42 of the other mobile phone device 1, so that the rechargeable battery 32 that has not yet reached the battery life can be used continuously.

  Next, when the mobile phone device 1 is connected to the charging device 80, it is authenticated whether or not the rechargeable battery 32 is a genuine product, and thereafter whether or not the usage status information of the rechargeable battery 32 satisfies a predetermined condition. Thus, the operation of the control unit 95 that determines whether or not to report information on the lifetime will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that whether or not the usage status information of the rechargeable battery 32 satisfies a predetermined condition is the same as in steps S7 to S12 described above.

  In step S <b> 21, the control unit 95 determines whether the mobile phone device 1 is connected to the charging device 80. If it is connected to the charging device 80, the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S <b> 22, the control unit 95 activates the non-contact reader 47 and determines whether or not ID information can be read from the rechargeable battery 32. If the ID information cannot be read from the rechargeable battery 32, the process proceeds to step S23. If the ID information can be read from the rechargeable battery 32, the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S <b> 23, when the ID information cannot be read from the rechargeable battery 32, the control unit 95 determines that the rechargeable battery 32 attached to the rechargeable battery storage unit 31 </ b> C is not a regular rechargeable battery, and the rechargeable battery 32. The charging operation is prohibited. In addition, when the control unit 95 determines that the rechargeable battery 32 is not a regular product, the control unit 95 may issue a predetermined alarm from the speaker 45 and display a message indicating that the battery is an unauthorized battery on the display 21.

  In this manner, the cellular phone device 1 according to the present invention produces the rechargeable battery 32 by arranging the RFID chip 67 at a predetermined place of the rechargeable battery 32 (a place where the ID terminal is conventionally provided). Information such as history, serial number, performance, and format can be stored, and the efficiency of production management and history management in the market can be improved.

  In addition, since the mobile phone device 1 according to the present invention has the bank area of the rechargeable battery 32 having the RFID chip 67 in the storage unit 42, unique rechargeable battery information can be managed. The discharge time, the heated temperature history, etc. are stored in the storage unit 42, and the battery life is calculated by referring to these histories, so that the voltage drop of the rechargeable battery 32 and the polarization due to the DC resistance are conventionally performed. An accurate battery life announcement can be notified to the user without having a module that performs complex calculations using characteristics.

  Further, the cellular phone device 1 according to the present invention is configured by using the plurality of rechargeable batteries by configuring the storage unit 42 by a bank memory composed of a plurality of banks and assigning each bank memory to each of the plurality of rechargeable batteries. Information on the situation (number of times of charging, number of times of discharging, etc.) can be managed.

  In addition, the mobile phone device 1 according to the present invention stores information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery 32 (the number of times of charging (time) and the number of times of discharging (time)) in the storage unit 42, and the number of times of charging specified in advance. (Time) and the number of discharges (time) have elapsed, and when it is determined that the battery life has been reached, the notification unit 94 notifies the user and prompts replacement of the rechargeable battery 32. It is possible to notify the user whether or not the rechargeable battery 32 sufficiently maintains the expected specifications, and to give the user the timing for determining whether to purchase a new rechargeable battery or replace the entire device. be able to.

  In addition, the mobile phone device 1 according to the present invention can also restrict the use of unauthorized rechargeable batteries 32.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the mobile telephone apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the operation part side housing | casing part with which the mobile telephone apparatus which concerns on this invention is equipped. It is a block diagram which shows the function of the mobile telephone apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of a battery terminal and its periphery. It is a figure which shows the structure of a rechargeable battery. It is a figure which shows the structure of the connection terminal of a rechargeable battery and a mobile telephone apparatus. It is a 1st figure with which it uses for description about the procedure which attaches a rechargeable battery to a rechargeable battery storage part. It is a 2nd figure with which it uses for description about the procedure which attaches a rechargeable battery to a rechargeable battery storage part. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control block of the mobile telephone apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the cycle frequency of a rechargeable battery, and a discharge capacity rate. It is a 1st flowchart with which it uses for description of the determination method about whether to alert | report the information regarding a battery life. It is a 2nd flowchart with which it uses for description of the determination method about whether to alert | report the information regarding battery life.

Explanation of symbols

31C wearing part (rechargeable battery storage part)
32 Rechargeable battery 42 Storage unit 48 Control block 62 Authentication storage unit (ID information storage area)
91 Reading section (reading means)
92 Acquisition unit (acquisition means)
93 Writing part (writing means)
94 Notification unit 95 Control unit (control means)
96 Flag writing unit (flag writing means)

Claims (11)

A portable electronic device having notification means for notifying various information and a mounting portion on which a rechargeable battery is mounted,
Storage means for storing information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery;
Writing means for writing information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery into the storage means;
Information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery mounted on the mounting portion is read from the storage means, and when it is determined that the usage status information satisfies a predetermined condition, the information on the life of the rechargeable battery is notified. A portable electronic device comprising: control means for informing by the means. Comprising an acquisition means for acquiring information on a usage status of the rechargeable battery mounted on the mounting portion;
The rechargeable battery is provided with an ID information storage area for storing unique ID (Identification) information for identifying the rechargeable battery,
It further comprises reading means for reading ID information from the rechargeable battery attached to the attachment part,
The storage means stores information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery for each ID information of the rechargeable battery,
The control unit causes the writing unit to write the information on the use state acquired by the acquiring unit in the storage unit in association with the ID information of the attached rechargeable battery. The portable electronic device as described in. The rechargeable battery has an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip having the ID information storage area,
The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the reading unit reads ID information from the RFID chip by magnetic field communication. According to the control of the control means, a flag writing means for writing a predetermined flag is provided,
The RFID chip has a flag storage area for storing a predetermined flag,
When the control unit determines that the information on the usage status of the rechargeable battery mounted on the mounting unit satisfies a predetermined condition, the control unit sets a predetermined flag in the flag storage area of the RFID chip by magnetic field communication. The portable electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the writing unit is controlled to write. The information on the usage status is information on the number of times of charging and discharging the rechargeable battery, or the charging time and discharging time of the rechargeable battery,
The predetermined condition is the upper limit number of times of charging and discharging the rechargeable battery, or the upper limit time of charging time and discharging time of the rechargeable battery,
The control means, when the number of charge or discharge of the rechargeable battery attached to the attachment part reaches the upper limit number, or when the charge time or discharge time of the rechargeable battery reaches the upper limit time The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the notification by the notification unit is performed.   6. The portable electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit calculates the number of discharges based on a first weighting coefficient, and calculates the number of chargings based on a second weighting coefficient. The second weighting factor is determined based on an integrated value of the charging time charged by the charging device,
The control means calculates the number of times of charging with the second weighting factor being constant after the time charged by the charging device reaches the time required for full charge of the rechargeable battery. The portable electronic device according to claim 6.   The portable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the first weighting coefficient is determined based on a voltage value obtained before the charging of the rechargeable battery obtained by the obtaining unit.   The said control means calculates the said 2nd weighting coefficient as 1 time, when the voltage value of the rechargeable battery when charge is started by the said charging device is less than a fixed value. Portable electronic device.   The said control means is started at the time of the start of charge by a charging device, and memorize | stores the cumulative value of the discharge frequency of the rechargeable battery until then in the said memory | storage means. The portable electronic device described. An ID information group storage means for storing a unique ID information group for proving that the rechargeable battery mounted on the mounting portion is a genuine product;
The control means determines whether or not the ID information is stored in the ID information group storage means when a rechargeable battery is attached to the attachment portion and ID information is read from the rechargeable battery by the reading means. It is determined whether or not the rechargeable battery is a genuine product, and when it is determined that the rechargeable battery is a regular product, it is determined whether or not the ID information has been registered in the storage means, and the ID information is stored in the memory. 3. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein when it is determined that the information has not been registered in the means, the ID information is registered in the storage means.

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