JP2011035966A - Electronic equipment system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide electronic equipment capable of improving reliability in displaying the remaining capacity of a battery unit. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic equipment system 100 includes electronic equipment 110 capable of operating in a plurality of operation modes, and a battery unit 105 incorporating a secondary battery 107 fitted to the electronic equipment to supply power. In the electronic equipment system 100, the electronic equipment includes a selection part 125 for selecting an actual power consumption value Pa when the actual power consumption value Pa is larger than the sum of an assumed power consumption power Pb and a threshold S not less than 0 by comparing both of them and selecting an assumed power consumption value Pb when the former is not more than the latter, and a display part 130 for displaying the remaining time T of the secondary battery 107 calculated based on a result selected by the selection part 125. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device system.

  A battery unit (also referred to as a battery pack) having a secondary battery is widely used as a power source for electronic devices. Recently, electronic devices that communicate with a battery unit and display the remaining amount of the battery unit are also known. Patent Literature 1 describes a device that calculates and displays the remaining amount of a battery pack.

JP 2003-240830 A

  However, in the electronic device system of Patent Document 1, when the actual power consumption is higher than the expected power consumption, the battery power is consumed earlier than the displayed usable time and the power is supplied earlier than the time assumed by the user. There is a problem that is cut off.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device system capable of improving the reliability of the remaining battery unit displayed.

  One of the electronic device systems according to the present invention is an electronic device system that includes an electronic device that can operate in a plurality of operation modes, and a battery unit that is mounted on the electronic device and includes a battery that supplies power. The electronic device, based on information including the voltage value, discharge current value and remaining power value of the battery, actual power consumption information acquisition means for acquiring the current actual power consumption value of the electronic device, Expected power consumption information acquisition means for acquiring an predicted power consumption value corresponding to the current operation mode of the electronic device, the actual power consumption value, the predicted power consumption value, and a threshold value of zero or more When the actual power consumption value is greater than the sum of the predicted power consumption value and the threshold value, the actual power consumption value is selected, and the actual power consumption value is Was A selection unit that selects the predicted power consumption value if it is equal to or less than the sum of the power consumption value and the threshold value, and the actual power consumption value and the predicted power consumption that the selection unit selects the remaining power value. It has a calculation means for calculating the remaining time that the electronic device can be used by dividing by one of the values, and a display means for displaying the remaining time calculated by the calculation means.

  One of the electronic device systems according to the present invention is an electronic device system that includes an electronic device that can operate in a plurality of operation modes, and a battery unit that is mounted on the electronic device and includes a battery that supplies power. The electronic device corresponds to an actual power consumption information acquisition unit that acquires the discharge current value of the battery unit as a current actual consumption current value of the electronic device, and a current operation mode of the electronic device. Expected power consumption information acquisition means for acquiring the predicted current consumption value, the actual current consumption value, and the actual current consumption by comparing the predicted current consumption value with the sum of the predicted current consumption value and a threshold value of 0 or more If the value is greater than the sum of the predicted current consumption value and the threshold value, the actual current consumption value is selected, and the actual current consumption value is the sum of the predicted current consumption value and the threshold value. Selecting means for selecting the predicted current consumption value if lower, and dividing the remaining power value by one of the actual power consumption value and the predicted power consumption value selected by the selection means; It has a calculating means for calculating the remaining time that can be used by the electronic device, and a display means for displaying the remaining time calculated by the calculating means.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the electronic device system which can improve the reliability of the remaining amount of the battery unit displayed can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic device system which concerns on Embodiments 1-5. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control part 120 shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a control unit 120 according to the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a control unit 120 according to the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a control unit 120 according to the fourth embodiment. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a control unit 120 according to the fifth embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic device system 100 according to the first to fifth embodiments. The electronic device system 100 includes an electronic device 110 such as a recording / reproducing device, and a battery unit 105 that is detachably housed in a battery chamber (not shown) formed in the electronic device 110. The electronic device 110 according to the first embodiment is embodied as a digital camera. The battery unit 105 includes a secondary battery 107 that is attached to the electronic device 110 and supplies power.

  The electronic device 110 is connected to the battery unit 105 through a plus terminal (not shown) and a minus terminal (not shown), and receives power from the battery unit 105. Further, the electronic device 110 can operate in a plurality of operation modes. The electronic device 110 includes a control unit 120, a display unit 130, and a power supply unit 140. The display unit 130 has a display panel.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 120 of the electronic device 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 120 includes a reception unit 121, an actual power consumption information acquisition unit 122, an expected power consumption information acquisition unit 123, a memory 124, a selection unit 125, a calculation unit 126, and a display control unit 127. It has a module. The function of these modules will be described later.

  The battery unit 105 includes a control unit 106 and a secondary battery 107. The control unit 106 can detect the battery voltage V [V], the battery charge / discharge current I [A], the remaining power amount B [Wh], and the like. The control unit 106 of the battery unit 105 is connected to the control unit 120 of the electronic device 110 via the communication terminal 112, and can transmit and receive each other's information through bidirectional communication. The control unit 120 of the electronic device 110 calculates the remaining time of the battery unit 105 based on the battery voltage V [V], the battery discharge / charge current I [A], and the remaining power B [Wh], and displays the display unit. 130. As shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 130 displays the remaining amount time (minutes) and the ratio of the current remaining amount to the remaining amount at the time of full charge.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining one process of the control unit 120. In FIG. 3, “S” stands for a step. The control unit 120 periodically executes this process to update the display. For example, it is executed at intervals of 1 second, or this interval is changed according to the operating state of the electronic device 110. When the operating state of the electronic device 110 changes, the control unit 120 immediately executes the process of FIG. 3 and updates the display promptly.

  In FIG. 3, first, the receiving unit 121 communicates with the battery unit 105 to receive information on the secondary battery 107 (S10). The communication method is not limited to serial communication, parallel communication, wireless communication, and the like. The information on the secondary battery 107 includes, for example, the voltage V [V] of the secondary battery 107, the discharge current I [A] of the secondary battery 107, and the remaining battery power B [Wh].

  Next, the actual power consumption information acquisition unit 122 calculates the actual power consumption value Pa [W], which is the current actual power consumption value, based on the battery voltage and battery discharge current information acquired by the reception unit 121 by calculation. (S11). The actual power consumption information acquisition unit 122 calculates in real time and acquires the actual power consumption value Pa [W] in real time. In the first embodiment, the actual power consumption information acquisition unit 122 uses the actual power consumption value Pa [W] as the voltage value V [V] of the secondary battery 107 and the discharge current of the secondary battery, as shown in Expression (1). Calculate the product of the values I [A].

Actual power consumption value Pa [W] = Voltage value V [V] × Discharge current value I [A] (1)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment in which the actual power consumption information acquisition unit 122 acquires the actual power consumption value Pa based on the information acquired by the reception unit 121. For example, the power supply unit 140 of the electronic device 110 can detect the voltage value and the supplied current value between the plus terminal 115 and the minus terminal 116, and the actual power consumption information acquisition unit 122 acquires the result detected by the power supply unit. May be calculated. However, even in this case, the reception unit 121 acquires information on the remaining power value of the secondary battery 107 from the control unit 106.

  Next, the predicted power consumption information acquisition unit 123 acquires the predicted power consumption Pb that is the predicted power consumption value corresponding to the current operation mode of the electronic device 110 from the power table 124 a stored in advance in the memory 124. . The power table 124a is a table showing the relationship between the operation mode of the electronic device and the consumed power value. Table 1 is an example of the power table 124a when the electronic device 110 is a recording / reproducing apparatus (digital camera) that records video on a recording medium and reproduces the video.

  Table 1 shows a relationship between a plurality (N) of operation modes i of the electronic device 110 and power values Pi (i = 1 to N) consumed in each operation mode. In Table 1, the power value P1 consumed in the recording mode is 3000 mW, the power value P2 consumed in the reproduction mode is 1800 mW, and the power value P3 consumed when the brightness of the display unit 130 is set to high luminance is 300 mW. is there. The power value P4 consumed when outputting a video signal to an external monitor is 50 mW, and the power value P5 consumed when an external printer is connected is 100 mW. As the mode i in Table 1, other power saving modes (for example, low display panel brightness) are conceivable. Mode i includes a connection state with an external device such as “printer connected”.

  The predicted power consumption information acquisition unit 123 can acquire the predicted power consumption value Pb by calculation by repeating the processes from S12 to S15 for each mode i (i = 1 to N) in Table 1. That is, the predicted power consumption information acquisition unit 123 starts a loop (S12), and determines whether the current mode matches the mode i read from the power table 124a (S13). When it is determined that the current mode matches the mode i read from the power table 124a (YES in S13), the predicted power consumption information acquisition unit 123 adds the corresponding power consumption value Pi to the predicted power consumption value Pb. (S14) The next loop is repeated (S15). For example, when the recording mode, the display panel brightness is high, and the video signal output is on, the power consumption value Pi in these modes is consumed, but the power consumption value Pi during playback mode and printer connection is not consumed. . Therefore, the predicted power consumption value Pb [W] is the sum of P1 (3000 mW), P3 (300 mW), and P4 (50 mW), and can be calculated as 3.35 W. Thus, the predicted power consumption information acquisition unit 123 acquires the predicted power consumption value Pb by adding one or more power values corresponding to the current operation mode of the electronic device 110 in the power table 124a.

  On the other hand, if the predicted power consumption information acquisition unit 123 determines that the current mode does not match the mode i read from the power table 124a (NO in S13), the next loop is repeated without doing anything (S15). .

  Next, the selection unit 125, as shown in Expression (2), the actual power consumption value Pa that is the actual power consumption value, the predicted power consumption value Pb that is the predicted power consumption value, and a threshold S that is greater than or equal to zero. Are compared, and one of the actual power consumption value Pa and the predicted power consumption value Pb is selected (S16). More specifically, the selection unit 125 selects the actual power consumption value Pa when the actual power consumption value Pa is larger than the sum of the predicted power consumption value Pb and the threshold value S (YES in S16). The selection unit 125 selects the predicted power consumption value Pb if the actual power consumption value Pa is equal to or less than the sum of the predicted power consumption value Pb and the threshold S (NO in S16). Note that a threshold S [W] is set in the selection unit 125 in advance.

Actual power consumption value Pa [W]> expected power consumption value Pb [W] + threshold value S [W] (2)
As described above, the selection unit 125 according to the first embodiment selects the actual power consumption value Pa when the actual power consumption value Pa is larger than the sum of the predicted power consumption value Pb and the threshold value S. Thus, the problem that the power is turned off earlier than the expected time can be solved. As a result, the electronic device system 100 of Embodiment 1 can improve the reliability of the remaining amount of the secondary battery 107 of the battery unit 105 that is displayed.

  The threshold value S may be 0, but is a value larger than 0 in the first embodiment. In general, the expected power consumption value Pb does not fluctuate frequently, but the actual power consumption value Pa fluctuates frequently, and thus has a certain fluctuation range. In the first embodiment, the threshold value S is set larger than the fluctuation range. For example, when the threshold value S is set to 0 and the actual power consumption value Pa fluctuates above and below the predicted power consumption value Pb, the remaining amount display of the secondary battery 107 displayed on the display unit 130 is frequently displayed together with the actual power consumption value Pa. This is because it becomes difficult for the user to see. By setting the threshold value S as in the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent the display on the display unit 130 from changing frequently.

  The calculation unit 126 divides the remaining power value B received by the reception unit 121 into one of the actual power consumption value Pa and the expected power consumption value Pb selected by the selection unit 125, thereby remaining time T that the electronic device 110 can use. Is calculated.

  That is, when the actual power consumption value Pa is used, the calculation unit 126 calculates the remaining time T [h] as shown in Expression (3) (S17).

Remaining time T [h] = Remaining electric energy B [Wh] ÷ Actual power consumption value Pa [W] (3)
In addition, when using the predicted power consumption value Pb, the calculation unit 126 calculates the remaining time T [h] as shown in Expression (4) (S18).

Remaining time T [h] = Remaining electric energy B [Wh] ÷ Estimated power consumption value Pb [W] (4)
The display control unit 127 displays the remaining time T [h] calculated by the calculation unit 126 on the display unit 130 (S19). At this time, the remaining time T [h] is converted into minutes and displayed. In addition, when the operation mode is switched to reduce power consumption and the remaining time T [h] to be displayed increases, the display is updated only when the value is larger than the previous remaining time plus a threshold value. In other cases, the previous remaining time may be displayed without updating the display. This is because it is generally a concern for the user that there is no remaining time.

[Embodiment 2]
When the control unit 106 of the battery unit 105 can detect the remaining power amount B ′ [Ah] of the secondary battery 107, S10 is read as that the receiving unit 121 acquires the remaining power amount B ′ [Ah]. It is done. In this case, the remaining time T [h] can be calculated using the actual consumption current value Ia [A] and the predicted consumption current value Ib [A] instead of the actual consumption power value Pa.

  Also, S11 can be read as the actual power consumption information acquisition unit 122 taking the received discharge current value I [A] as it is as the actual consumption current value Ia [A]. In S14, after the predicted power consumption information acquisition unit 123 acquires the predicted power consumption value Pb [W] as in the first embodiment, the calculation of Expression (5) is performed to acquire the predicted power consumption value Ib [A]. Is replaced with

Expected current consumption value Ib [A] = expected power consumption value Pb [W] ÷ secondary battery voltage value V [V] (5)
A threshold value S ′ [A] is set in the selection unit 125 in advance, and S16 selects the actual consumption current value Ia when Formula (6) is satisfied, and the expected consumption current value otherwise. Is read as selecting Ib.

Actual consumption current value Ia [A]> expected consumption current value Ib [A] + threshold value S ′ [A] (6)
S17 can be read as that the calculation unit 126 calculates the remaining time T [h] as shown in Expression (7) when the actual consumption current value Ia is used.

Remaining time T [h] = remaining battery energy B ′ [Ah] ÷ actual current consumption value Ia [A] (7)
Further, S18 can be read as that the calculation unit 126 calculates the remaining time T [h] as shown in Expression (8) when the predicted consumption current value Ib is used.

Remaining time T [h] = Battery remaining power B ′ [Ah] ÷ Expected current consumption value Ib [A] (8)
[Embodiment 3]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining processing of the selection unit 125 and the calculation unit 126 according to the third embodiment. In the selection unit 125, a threshold value when the value to be used is switched from the predicted power consumption value Pb to the actual power consumption value Pa and a threshold value S when the actual power consumption value Pa is switched to the predicted power consumption value Pb are set to different values. Thus, hysteresis can be provided. In the third embodiment, once the predicted power consumption value Pb is switched to the actual power consumption value Pa, the display unit 130 is prevented from changing the display so that the predicted power consumption value Pb is not easily switched again.

  First, the selection unit 125 determines whether or not the actual power consumption value Pa is used for the previous calculation (S21). When the selection unit 125 determines that the predicted power consumption value Pb is used (NO in S21), the selection unit 125 selects the actual power consumption value Pa when the formula (9) is satisfied, and otherwise. The expected power consumption value Pb is selected continuously (S22). Note that a threshold S1 [W] is set in the selection unit 125 in advance.

Actual power consumption value Pa [W]> expected power consumption value Pb + threshold value S1 [W] (9)
When the actual power consumption value Pa is used, the calculation unit 126 calculates the remaining time T [h] as shown in Expression (10) (S23).

Remaining time T [h] = Remaining electric energy B [Wh] ÷ Actual power consumption value Pa [W] (10)
In addition, when using the predicted power consumption value Pb, the calculation unit 126 calculates the remaining time T [h] as shown in Expression (11) (S24).

Remaining time T [h] = Remaining electric energy B [Wh] ÷ Estimated power consumption value Pb [W] (11)
On the other hand, when the selection unit 125 determines that the actual power consumption value Pa is used (YES in S21), the selection unit 125 selects the predicted power consumption value Pb when the expression (12) is satisfied, and otherwise. Then, the actual power consumption value Pa is continuously selected (S25). The selection unit 125 is preset with a threshold value S2 [W]. The threshold value S2 is a value different from the threshold value S1, and is smaller than the threshold value S1 in the third embodiment.

Expected power consumption value Pb [W] + threshold value S2 [W]> actual power consumption value Pa [W] (12)
The arithmetic unit 126 proceeds to S23 when the actual power consumption value Pa is used, and proceeds to S24 when the predicted power consumption value Pb is used.

[Embodiment 4]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining processing of the selection unit 125 and the calculation unit 126 according to the fourth embodiment. The selection unit 125 reads and sets the threshold value S from the threshold value table according to the operation state of the electronic device 110. Table 2 is an example of a threshold value table when the electronic device 110 is a recording / reproducing apparatus that records video on a recording medium and reproduces the video.

  Table 2 includes a mode i indicating N operation states of the electronic device 110 and a threshold value Si (i = 1 to N) in the state. In Table 2, the threshold value S1 in the recording mode is 50 mW, the threshold value S2 in the reproduction mode is 20 mW, and the threshold value S3 when the brightness of the display panel is set to high luminance is 0 mW. Further, the threshold value S4 when the video signal is output to the external monitor is 0 mW, and the threshold value S5 when connected to the external printer is 0 mW.

  In the recording mode, there are many local power consumption fluctuations due to the zoom operation of the lens, etc., so that the display on the display unit 130 can be prevented from fluctuating frequently by setting the threshold value higher. The threshold value S can be acquired by repeating the processes of S31 to S38 for each mode i (i = 1 to N) in the threshold value table. That is, the selection unit 125 starts a loop (S31), and determines whether or not the current mode matches the mode i read from the threshold table (S32). When the selection unit 125 determines that the current mode matches the mode i read from the threshold table (YES in S32), the selection unit 125 adds the corresponding threshold Si to the threshold S (S33) and repeats the next loop ( S34). For example, when the recording mode and the display panel brightness are high and the video signal output is on, the threshold value S [W] = S1 + S3 + S4 = 50 + 0 + 0 = 50 is calculated. On the other hand, if the selection unit 125 determines that the current mode does not match the mode i read from the threshold table (NO in S32), the selection unit 125 repeats the next loop without doing anything (S34). Thereafter, similarly to FIG. 3, S16 to S19 are performed.

[Embodiment 5]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining processing of the selection unit 125 and the calculation unit 126 according to the fifth embodiment. The selection unit 125 uses the actual power consumption value Pa after the condition is satisfied for a certain period.

  In the selection unit 125, a threshold S [W] is set in advance. First, the selection unit 125 determines whether or not the actual power consumption value Pa [W]> the predicted power consumption value Pb [W] + the threshold value S [W] is satisfied (S41). If the selection unit 125 determines that it is established (YES in S41), it adds 1 to the counter value to obtain a new counter value (S42). That is, the counter value represents the number of times that the actual power consumption value Pa is larger than the sum of the predicted power consumption value Pb and the threshold value S. When the counter value is larger than the threshold value C (threshold number) (YES in S44), the actual power consumption value Pa is used for the calculation (S45). This is because the display on the display unit 130 may fluctuate frequently if the actual power consumption value Pa [W]> the predicted power consumption value Pb [W] + the threshold value S [W] is switched before the condition is stabilized. It is. Thereby, Embodiment 5 can have the same effect as chattering prevention.

  On the other hand, when the selection unit 125 determines that the actual power consumption value Pa [W]> the predicted power consumption value Pb [W] + the threshold value S [W] is not satisfied (NO in S41), the selection unit 125 sets the counter value to 0 (S43). ). After S43 or when the counter value is equal to or less than the threshold value C (threshold number or less) (NO in S44), the predicted power consumption value Pb is used for the calculation (S46). Thereafter, S19 is performed as in FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Electronic device system 105 Battery unit 107 Secondary battery 110 Electronic device 120 Control part 121 Reception part 122 Actual power consumption information acquisition part 123 Expected power consumption information acquisition part 124 Memory 124a Power table 125 Selection part 126 Calculation part 127 Display control part 130 Display section

Claims (9)

An electronic device system having an electronic device that can operate in a plurality of operation modes, and a battery unit that includes a battery that is attached to the electronic device and supplies power,
The electronic device is
Based on information including the battery voltage value, discharge current value and remaining power value, actual power consumption information acquisition means for acquiring the current actual power consumption value of the electronic device;
Expected power consumption information acquisition means for acquiring an expected power consumption value corresponding to a current operation mode of the electronic device;
The actual power consumption value is compared with the sum of the predicted power consumption value and a threshold value greater than or equal to zero, and the actual power consumption value is greater than the sum of the predicted power consumption value and the threshold value. Selecting means for selecting the actual power consumption value, and selecting the predicted power consumption value if the actual power consumption value is less than or equal to the sum of the predicted power consumption value and a threshold;
A computing means for computing a remaining time that the electronic device can be used by dividing the remaining power value by one of the actual power consumption value and the predicted power consumption value selected by the selection means;
An electronic device system comprising: display means for displaying the remaining time calculated by the calculating means. The electronic device further includes receiving means for receiving the information from the battery unit,
The electronic device system according to claim 1, wherein the actual power consumption information acquisition unit acquires the information detected by the reception unit.   The actual power consumption information acquiring unit acquires the actual power consumption value by calculating a product of the voltage value and the discharge current value of the battery included in the information received by the receiving unit. The electronic device system according to claim 2. The electronic device further includes a power supply unit that detects a voltage value and a supplied current value of the battery of the battery unit,
The electronic device system according to claim 3, wherein the actual power consumption information acquisition unit acquires a result detected by the power supply unit. The electronic device further includes a memory that stores a table indicating a relationship between a plurality of operation modes of the electronic device and a power value consumed in each operation mode,
The predicted power consumption information acquisition means acquires the predicted power consumption value by adding one or more power values corresponding to the current operation mode of the electronic device in the table. The electronic device system according to claim 1.   The selection unit differs between the threshold when switching from the predicted power consumption value to the actual power consumption value and the threshold when switching from the actual power consumption value to the predicted power consumption value. The electronic device system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device system is a value.   The electronic device system according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit changes the threshold according to an operation mode of the electronic device.   The selection means selects the predicted power consumption value when the number of times that the actual power consumption value is greater than the sum of the predicted power consumption value and the threshold is equal to or less than the threshold number, and the number of times is The electronic device system according to claim 1, wherein the actual power consumption value is selected when the number is greater than the threshold number. An electronic device system having an electronic device that can operate in a plurality of operation modes, and a battery unit that includes a battery that is attached to the electronic device and supplies power,
The electronic device is
Actual power consumption information acquisition means for acquiring a discharge current value of the battery unit as a current actual current consumption value of the electronic device;
Expected power consumption information acquisition means for acquiring an expected current consumption value corresponding to a current operation mode of the electronic device;
The actual current consumption value is compared with the sum of the predicted current consumption value and a threshold value of 0 or more, and the actual current consumption value is larger than the sum of the predicted current consumption value and the threshold value. A selection means for selecting the actual current consumption value, and selecting the predicted current consumption value if the actual current consumption value is less than or equal to the sum of the predicted current consumption value and a threshold;
A computing means for computing a remaining time in which the electronic device can be used by dividing one of the actual consumption current value and the predicted consumption current value selected by the selection means by the remaining power value of the battery;
An electronic device system comprising: display means for displaying the remaining time calculated by the calculating means.