JP2013068431A - Battery level indicator, battery level indication method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery level indicator capable of indicting battery level considering battery temperature changes due to time elapse and changes in conditions.SOLUTION: A battery temperature measuring section 13 and a battery voltage measuring section 24 measure the temperature and the voltage of a battery, respectively. A discharge characteristic determination section 15 determines appropriate discharge characteristic data on the basis of the battery temperature. A temperature information obtaining section 19 obtains temperature information representing a predicted value of the temperature around a present location on the basis of location information representing the present location obtained by a location and time obtaining section 16. A lowest temperature calculation section 21 calculates a lowest temperature around the present location in a predetermined period of time on the basis of time information representing present date and time received from a time section 18 and the temperature information. A correction data generating section 23 generates discharge characteristic correction data on the basis of the lowest temperature, the battery temperature and the discharge characteristic data. A battery level calculation section 25 calculates the battery level on the basis of the discharge characteristic correction data and the battery voltage and causes an indication section 26 to indicate the battery level.

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery remaining amount display device, a battery remaining amount display method, and a program.

  The battery remaining amount detection method is roughly classified into a method for detecting from a battery charge / discharge current and a method for detecting from a battery voltage. The method of detecting from the battery charge / discharge current is generally a method of calculating from the result of integrating the charge and discharge currents and the total capacity of the battery.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a battery remaining amount detection circuit that improves the detection accuracy of the charge / discharge current of a battery and can accurately detect the remaining amount of the battery.

  The simplest method for detecting the remaining amount from the battery voltage is to assign the upper limit and the lower limit of the battery voltage to be used to the battery capacity of 100% and 0%, respectively, and to make the battery voltage in the meantime correspond to the battery capacity linearly. There is a way. However, the battery has an inherent discharge characteristic, and the relationship between the battery voltage and the battery capacity is not linear. Therefore, in order to improve the detection accuracy of the remaining battery level, a technique has been devised in which the remaining capacity is calculated by calculating the battery capacity corresponding to the battery voltage from the discharge characteristics unique to the battery.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a battery remaining amount display device for a mobile phone that detects the remaining amount of battery from battery voltage and temperature (battery discharge characteristics).

  The method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery charge / discharge current has good accuracy, but has a drawback that the configuration is complicated and expensive. In addition, the method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery voltage has a disadvantage that the accuracy is lowered, but has an advantage that it can be realized with a simple configuration and is inexpensive.

  As a method for detecting the remaining amount of the battery employed in the device, any method is selected in consideration of various conditions required by the target device.

JP 2007-240524 A JP 07-283774 A

  In any of the above methods for detecting the remaining battery level, consideration is given to accurately detecting the remaining battery level at the present time, but time has passed or the location has been moved outdoors. In such a case, the temperature change is not considered. For example, if the device is used indoors (normal room temperature) in winter and the battery level is not enough, but there is enough battery power to start up, turn off the device and place it in a bag etc. If the battery is taken out (cold place) and the built-in battery is in a cold state, the device may not restart when the power is turned on in this state. In addition, since it cannot be restarted, the remaining battery level and message cannot be displayed on a liquid crystal display or the like, and the user cannot be notified of the reason why the restart cannot be performed.

  Many portable devices are equipped with a lithium ion battery, and the above phenomenon is a problem caused by the discharge characteristics of the lithium ion battery. It also depends on the characteristics of the lithium ion battery used. From the viewpoint of the user, it is an incomprehensible phenomenon that the device cannot be restarted by taking it out in the cold outdoors even though there is still enough battery power to be activated when the power is turned off. As a result, there is a possibility that a problem may occur in which the device is determined to have failed and a repair or complaint is submitted to the manufacturer even though it is not a failure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a battery remaining amount display device, a battery remaining amount display method, and a program for displaying a remaining battery amount in consideration of a change in battery temperature due to the passage of time or a change in situation. For the purpose.

A battery remaining amount display device according to a first aspect of the present invention provides:
A battery remaining amount display device that displays a remaining amount of a battery that supplies electric power to an electronic device,
A discharge characteristic storage unit that stores discharge characteristic data indicating a relationship between the voltage, capacity, and temperature of the battery;
A location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the current location;
Based on the position information, a temperature information acquisition unit that acquires temperature information indicating an expected value of the temperature of the current location in a period including a predetermined period from the present to a certain time in the future;
Based on the temperature information, a minimum temperature calculation unit that calculates the minimum temperature of the current location for the predetermined period;
A battery temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature of the battery;
Based on the temperature of the battery, from the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit, a discharge characteristic determination unit that determines the appropriate discharge characteristic data;
Correction that corrects the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determination unit based on the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit, the temperature of the battery, and the minimum temperature, and generates corrected discharge characteristic data A data generator;
A voltage / current measurement unit for measuring the voltage or discharge current of the battery;
A first remaining amount calculating unit for calculating a corrected remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage or discharge current of the battery and the corrected discharge characteristic data;
A display unit for displaying the corrected remaining battery level;
It is characterized by providing.

The battery remaining amount display device includes a self-discharge data storage unit that stores self-discharge characteristic data indicating a relationship between a self-discharge amount, voltage, and temperature of the battery;
A power-off time information storage unit for storing power-off time information including the date and time when the electronic device is turned off and the temperature and voltage of the battery;
An elapsed time calculating unit that calculates an elapsed time from the date and time when the power supply included in the power-off information is turned off when the electronic device is turned on;
Based on the elapsed time, the voltage and temperature of the battery when the power supply included in the power-off information is cut off, the temperature of the battery measured by the battery temperature measurement unit, and the self-discharge characteristic data A battery voltage prediction unit for predicting the voltage of the battery;
A second remaining amount calculating unit that calculates the remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage of the battery predicted by the battery voltage predicting unit and the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determining unit;
And a controller that controls activation of the OS of the electronic device based on the remaining amount of the battery calculated by the second remaining amount calculating unit.

  The control unit determines whether or not the OS can be started based on the remaining amount of the battery calculated by the second remaining amount calculating unit, and when the OS can be started, If the OS is activated by a method suitable for the remaining amount and the OS cannot be activated, an error or the remaining amount of the battery may be displayed on the display unit.

The first remaining amount calculating unit further calculates an uncorrected remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage or discharge current of the battery and the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determining unit,
The display unit may display both the corrected remaining battery level and the uncorrected remaining battery level.

The battery remaining amount display device includes an air temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the current location,
The temperature information acquisition unit may correct the temperature information based on the temperature of the current location detected by the temperature detection unit.

The voltage / current measurement unit measures at least the discharge current of the battery,
The discharge characteristic determination unit may determine the suitable discharge characteristic data from the temperature and discharge current of the battery.

The battery remaining amount display method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes:
A battery remaining amount display method executed by a battery remaining amount display device that displays a remaining amount of a battery that supplies power to an electronic device,
A location information acquisition step for acquiring location information indicating the current location;
Based on the position information, temperature information acquisition step for acquiring temperature information indicating an expected value of the temperature of the current location in a period including a predetermined period from the present to a certain time in the future;
Based on the temperature information, a minimum temperature calculating step for calculating a minimum temperature for the predetermined period of the current location;
A battery temperature measuring step for measuring the temperature of the battery;
Based on the temperature of the battery, from the discharge characteristic data indicating the relationship between the voltage, capacity and temperature of the battery stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit, the discharge characteristic determination step for determining the suitable discharge characteristic data;
Correction for correcting the discharge characteristic data determined in the discharge characteristic determination step based on the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit, the temperature of the battery, and the minimum temperature, and generating corrected discharge characteristic data A data generation step;
A voltage / current measurement step for measuring the voltage or discharge current of the battery;
A first remaining amount calculating step of calculating a corrected remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage or discharge current of the battery and the corrected discharge characteristic data;
A display step for displaying the corrected remaining battery level;
It is characterized by providing.

A program according to a third aspect of the present invention is provided in a computer provided in a battery remaining amount display device that displays a remaining amount of a battery that supplies electric power to an electronic device.
A discharge characteristic storage step for storing discharge characteristic data indicating a relationship between the voltage, capacity and temperature of the battery;
A location information acquisition step for acquiring location information indicating the current location;
Temperature information acquisition step for acquiring temperature information indicating an expected value of the temperature of the current location in a period including a predetermined period from the present to a certain time in the future based on the position information;
Based on the temperature information, a minimum temperature calculating step for calculating a minimum temperature for the predetermined period of the current location,
A battery temperature measuring step for measuring the temperature of the battery;
A discharge characteristic determining step for determining suitable discharge characteristic data from the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storing step based on the temperature of the battery;
Based on the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage step, the temperature of the battery, and the minimum temperature, the discharge characteristic data determined in the discharge characteristic determination step is corrected to generate corrected discharge characteristic data. Correction data generation step to perform,
A voltage / current measurement step for measuring the voltage or discharge current of the battery;
A first remaining amount calculating step for calculating a corrected remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage or discharge current of the battery and the corrected discharge characteristic data; and
A display step for displaying the corrected remaining battery level;
Is executed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to perform a battery remaining amount display in consideration of a change in battery temperature due to the passage of time or a change in situation.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the battery remaining charge display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation for calculating a minimum temperature according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation for displaying a remaining battery level according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of discharge characteristic data. It is a figure which shows an example of correction | amendment discharge characteristic data. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the battery remaining charge display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of OS startup control according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the battery residual amount display apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an example in which the battery remaining amount display device of the present invention is mounted on a portable device will be described. An example of a portable device in which the battery remaining amount display device of the present invention is mounted is a portable electronic device that has a built-in battery and operates by the power of the battery, such as a mobile phone such as a smartphone, and a portable media device. A portable PC (Personal Computer), a portable navigation device, and the like. Further, the battery remaining amount display device does not exist independently in the portable device on which it is mounted, and is configured by various elements and software constituting the portable device.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a battery remaining amount display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The battery remaining amount display device 1 includes a discharge current measurement unit 12, a battery temperature measurement unit 13, a discharge characteristic storage unit 14, a discharge characteristic determination unit 15, a position time acquisition unit 16, a position information storage unit 17, a time measurement unit 18, and temperature information. An acquisition unit 19, a temperature information storage unit 20, a minimum temperature calculation unit 21, a minimum temperature storage unit 22, a correction data generation unit 23, a battery voltage measurement unit 24, a battery remaining amount calculation unit 25, and a display unit 26 are provided.

  The discharge current measuring unit 12 measures a discharge current of a battery (hereinafter simply referred to as a battery) that supplies power to a portable device in which the battery remaining amount display device 1 is mounted.

  The battery temperature measurement unit 13 measures the temperature of the battery.

  The discharge characteristic storage unit 14 stores discharge characteristic data indicating the relationship between the battery voltage, capacity, and temperature.

  Based on the battery discharge current value measured by the discharge current measurement unit 12 and the battery temperature value measured by the battery temperature measurement unit 13, the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 stores the discharge characteristic measurement unit 14. A suitable discharge characteristic data is determined from the discharge characteristic data.

  Generally, the discharge characteristics of a battery change according to the discharge current in addition to the temperature. In consideration of this characteristic, in the present embodiment, the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 determines suitable discharge characteristic data based on the value of the discharge current and the temperature of the battery. However, if the portable device is a device whose current consumption is almost constant, the discharge characteristics due to the discharge current do not change so much, and there may be no problem even if the discharge current measuring unit 12 is omitted. In this case, the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 determines suitable discharge characteristic data from the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge unit characteristic storage unit 14 based only on the value of the battery temperature measured by the battery temperature measurement unit 13. .

  The position time acquisition unit 16 receives the GPS signal, and acquires position information indicating the current location of the battery remaining amount display device 1 and current date information indicating the current date and time from the GPS signal. The location time acquisition unit 16 is also configured by a transmission / reception unit using WiFi or a cellular phone line. In this case, the current location of the battery remaining amount display device 1 is determined based on information of an access point or a base station with which communication is performed. The position information indicating is acquired.

  The position information storage unit 17 stores the position information acquired by the position time acquisition unit 16.

  The time measuring unit 18 generates time information indicating the current date and time and sends the time information to the minimum temperature calculating unit 21. Further, the timer unit 18 synchronizes with the current date and time information acquired by the position time acquisition unit 16. Thereby, the time measuring part 18 can maintain the production | generation of exact time information. Note that the portable device may include a timer unit 18 outside the battery display device 1, and the battery display device 1 may acquire time information indicating the current date and time from the external timer unit 18.

  Based on the position information stored in the position information storage unit 17, the temperature information acquisition unit 19 externally displays temperature information indicating an estimated value of the temperature around the current location in a period including a predetermined period from the present to a certain time in the future. get. The predetermined period may be, for example, 24 hours or one week. An arbitrary period in which the temperature change of the battery is assumed to occur is set. In addition, when the temperature information acquisition unit 19 cannot acquire the temperature information from the outside, the position information storage unit 17 stores the average temperature information indicating the average temperature change in each place stored in the temperature information storage unit 20. Based on the position information, temperature information indicating an estimated value of the temperature around the current location may be extracted. The air temperature information acquisition unit 19 may include an air temperature detection unit that detects the air temperature around the current location, and correct the air temperature information from the detection result.

  The temperature information storage unit 20 stores the temperature information acquired by the temperature information acquisition unit 19. Moreover, the temperature information storage part 20 may memorize | store the average temperature information which shows the change of average temperature of each place beforehand.

  The minimum temperature calculation unit 21 calculates the minimum temperature around the current location for a predetermined period based on the time information received from the time measuring unit 18 and the temperature information stored in the temperature information storage unit 20. The temperature information acquisition unit 19 calculates the temperature around the current location for a predetermined period from the present time to a future time based on the position information stored in the position information storage unit 17 and the time information received from the time measuring unit 18. You may acquire the temperature information which shows an estimated value from the outside. In this case, the minimum temperature calculation unit 21 calculates the minimum temperature from the temperature information stored in the temperature information storage unit 20.

  The lowest temperature storage unit 22 stores the lowest temperature calculated by the lowest temperature calculation unit 21.

  The correction data generation unit 23 calculates a correction value based on the minimum temperature stored in the minimum temperature storage unit 22, the battery temperature measured by the battery temperature measurement unit 13, and the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit 14. calculate. The correction data generation unit 23 corrects the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 with the correction value to generate correction discharge characteristic data.

  The battery voltage measuring unit 24 measures the voltage of the battery.

  The battery remaining amount calculation unit 25 calculates the remaining amount of the battery based on the corrected discharge characteristic data generated by the correction data generation unit 23 and the battery voltage measured by the battery voltage measurement unit 24. In the present embodiment, a method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery voltage is used. However, when a method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery discharge current is used, the remaining battery level calculation unit 25 generates correction data. The remaining battery level is calculated based on the corrected discharge characteristic data generated by the unit 23 and the battery discharge current measured by the discharge current measuring unit 12.

  The remaining battery level calculated by the battery remaining amount calculation unit 25 based on the corrected discharge characteristic data generated by the correction data generation unit 23 and the battery voltage measured by the battery voltage measurement unit 24 is the remaining battery level after correction. Amount. Based on the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 and the battery voltage measured by the battery voltage measurement unit 24, the remaining battery level calculation unit 25 may calculate the remaining battery level that has not been corrected. Good.

  The display unit 26 displays the remaining battery level calculated by the remaining battery level calculation unit 25. The display unit 26 may display only the corrected battery remaining amount, or may display both the corrected battery remaining amount and the uncorrected battery remaining amount.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation for calculating the minimum temperature according to the first embodiment. The minimum temperature calculation process is performed when the portable device is powered on or in a low power consumption state (standby). The frequency may be performed at the most effective timing while suppressing battery consumption, for example, at regular intervals or when the current location indicated by the position information changes, immediately before executing the battery remaining amount display process described later.

  First, the position time acquisition unit 16 acquires position information indicating the current location of the battery display device 1 and current date information indicating the current date and time (step S11). When the position information and the current date / time information cannot be acquired (step S12; NO), the process proceeds to step S15. When the position information and the current date / time information can be acquired (step S12; YES), the time measuring unit 18 performs time synchronization with the current date / time information (step S13). Further, the position information storage unit 17 stores position information (step S14).

  Based on the position information stored in the position information storage unit 17, the temperature information acquisition unit 19 externally displays temperature information indicating an estimated value of the temperature around the current location in a period including a predetermined period from the present to a certain time in the future. Obtain (step S15). When the temperature information cannot be acquired (step S16; NO), the process proceeds to step S18. When the temperature information can be acquired (step S16; YES), the temperature information storage unit 20 stores the temperature information (step S14).

  The lowest temperature calculation unit 21 receives time information indicating the current date and time from the timing unit 18 (step S18), and calculates the lowest temperature around the current location for a predetermined period based on the temperature information stored in the temperature information storage unit 20. (Step S19). The lowest temperature storage unit 22 stores the lowest temperature calculated by the lowest temperature calculation unit 21 (step S20) and ends the process. By overwriting and storing the minimum temperature calculated by the minimum temperature calculation unit 21, the latest minimum temperature is stored in the minimum temperature storage unit 22.

  If the location information and the current date / time information cannot be acquired in step S12, or if the location information storage unit 17 does not store the location information because of the first power-on of the portable device, the user is not You may also enter your current location, including city names. Further, when the temperature information cannot be acquired in step S16 or when the temperature information storage unit 20 does not store the temperature information for the reason such as when the portable device is first turned on, the temperature information storage unit 20 stores the temperature information in advance. You may use the average temperature information which shows the change of the average temperature of each location memorize | stored.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation for displaying the remaining battery level according to the first embodiment. The battery remaining amount display process is performed when an OS (Operating System) of the portable device is activated or in a low power consumption state (standby). The frequency is most effective depending on the remaining battery level, for example, at regular intervals, when the remaining battery level falls below a predetermined level, or when the user inputs an instruction to display the remaining battery level into the portable device. It is recommended to implement at a reasonable timing.

  First, the battery temperature measurement part 13 measures the temperature of a battery (step S21). The discharge current measuring unit 12 measures the discharge current of the battery (step S22). The discharge characteristic determining unit 15 determines suitable discharge characteristic data from the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge unit characteristic storage unit 14 based on the value of the battery discharge current and the value of the battery temperature (step S23). ).

  The correction data generation unit 23 compares the minimum temperature stored in the minimum temperature storage unit 22 with the battery temperature measured by the battery temperature measurement unit 13 (step S24). If the battery temperature is lower (step S25; YES), the process proceeds to step S28. If the battery temperature is lower, it is determined that the portable device is placed in a special environment, and the discharge characteristic data is not corrected. When the battery temperature is higher (step S25; NO), the correction data generation unit 23 calculates a correction value based on the minimum air temperature, the battery temperature, and the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit 14. (Step S26).

  The correction data generation unit 23 generates corrected discharge characteristic data obtained by correcting the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 with a correction value (step S27). The battery voltage measurement unit 24 measures the voltage of the battery (step S28), and the battery remaining amount calculation unit 25 calculates the remaining amount of the battery based on the corrected discharge characteristic data and the battery voltage (step S29). ). When the battery temperature is lower than the minimum temperature (step S25; YES), the remaining battery level calculation unit 25 determines the remaining battery level based on the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 and the battery voltage. The amount is calculated (step S29).

  The display unit 26 displays the remaining battery level (step S30) and ends the process.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a description will be given of a method in which the correction data generation unit 23 in step S26 and step S27 generates correction discharge characteristic data.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of discharge characteristic data. FIG. 4 shows discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit 14, where the vertical axis represents the battery voltage (v) and the horizontal axis represents the discharge capacity (mAh). In the example of FIG. 4, the correction data generation unit 23 calculates the difference (ΔV) in battery voltage when the battery temperature is 20 ° C. and the minimum temperature is 0 ° C. with the same discharge capacity (850 mAh). This ΔV is a correction value when a method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery voltage is used. The point of interest in the present invention is “when the battery temperature is 20 ° C., the remaining battery capacity is not sufficient, but there is sufficient capacity to start up”. Here, as an example, “when the battery temperature is 20 ° C., the remaining battery capacity is not enough but there is enough power to start up” is corrected as “when the battery capacity is about 1000 mAh and the discharge capacity is 850 mAh” We are looking for a value.

  Further, the correction data generation unit 23 may calculate a difference (ΔC) in discharge capacity when the battery temperature is 20 ° C. and the minimum temperature is 0 ° C. at the same voltage (3.6 V). This ΔC is a correction value when using a method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery discharge current. In the present embodiment, since a method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery voltage is employed, ΔV is set as a correction value in step S26 of FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of corrected discharge characteristic data. First, the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 determines discharge characteristic data having a battery temperature of 20 ° C. from the discharge characteristic data shown in FIG. The correction data generation unit 23 converts the horizontal axis from the discharge capacity (mAh) to the remaining battery level (%) for displaying the remaining battery level. The correction data generation unit 23 converts the discharge characteristic data at 20 ° C. into a straight line for simplification.

  The “straight line” in FIG. 5 is the simplest method. The upper limit and the lower limit of the battery voltage are assigned to the battery capacity of 100% and 0%, respectively, and the battery voltage therebetween is linearly associated with the battery capacity. On the other hand, it is desirable to express the “discharge characteristics” as a curve in accordance with the characteristics of the battery used as shown in FIG. 4, but here it is linearly converted for simplicity.

  The correction value is calculated in FIG. 4, and the battery remaining 15% when “the battery capacity is about 1000 mAh and the discharge capacity is 850 mAh” is restarted even when the battery temperature reaches the lowest expected temperature (here, 0 ° C.). Is set to the minimum battery level that guarantees the battery level, and even if the battery temperature reaches the assumed minimum temperature (0 ° C in this case), the battery level that can be restarted with a sufficient margin is 70% or more. And set. Therefore, 70% or more need not be corrected, and the correction data generation unit 23 adds the correction value “ΔV” to the voltage when the remaining battery level of “discharge characteristics” is 15% to correct the corrected discharge characteristic data. create.

  By adding the correction value “ΔV” to the voltage when the battery remaining amount is 15%, the remaining amount enough to start the OS is ensured even when the battery temperature becomes the lowest temperature (0 ° C.). Therefore, it can be reliably restarted similarly to when the battery temperature is 20 ° C.

  In the example of FIG. 5, the battery remaining amount of 15% and 70% are connected with a straight line for simplification, but a curve is used according to the characteristics of the battery to be used, and the minimum correction is made. Also good. Thereby, it is possible to approach an accurate battery remaining amount display.

  The corrected discharge characteristic data created as described above is “after correction” in FIG. The battery voltage measurement unit 24 measures the battery voltage and performs A-D conversion. The battery remaining amount calculation unit 25 refers to the corrected discharge characteristic data, and calculates the battery remaining amount (%) based on the measurement result of the battery voltage measurement unit 24. The display unit 26 displays the remaining battery level calculated by the remaining battery level calculation unit 25 with a numerical value or an icon.

  As described above, according to the battery remaining amount display device 1 of the first embodiment, it is possible to perform a battery remaining amount display in consideration of a change in battery temperature due to a passage of time or a change in situation. This makes it difficult for the user to feel a sense of discomfort between the battery remaining amount display when the power is turned off and the operation of the device and the battery remaining amount display when restarted within a predetermined period.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the battery remaining amount display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The battery remaining amount display device 1 includes a discharge current measuring unit 12, a battery temperature measuring unit 13, a discharge characteristic storage unit 14, a time measuring unit 18, a battery voltage measuring unit 24, a battery remaining amount calculating unit 25, a display unit 26, and when the power is turned off. An information storage unit 27, an elapsed time calculation unit 28, a battery voltage prediction unit 29, and an activation control unit 30 are provided.

  The discharge current measurement unit 12, the battery temperature measurement unit 13, the discharge characteristic determination unit 15, and the battery voltage measurement unit 24 are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the battery temperature measurement unit 13 and the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 each perform processing before starting the OS of the portable device.

  The discharge characteristic storage unit 14 stores self-discharge characteristic data indicating the relationship between the battery self-discharge amount and the battery voltage and temperature in addition to the discharge characteristic data indicating the relationship between the battery voltage, capacity, and temperature.

  The time measuring unit 18 generates time information indicating the current date and time and sends the time information to the power-off time information storage unit 27 and the elapsed time calculation unit 28. Note that the timer 18 may synchronize with the current date and time information acquired from the outside, as in the first embodiment.

  The power-off-time information storage unit 27 associates the battery discharge current, temperature, and voltage when the power of the portable device equipped with the battery remaining amount display device 1 is turned off with the date and time when the power is turned off. Store as information.

  When the portable device is turned on, the elapsed time calculation unit 28 divides the power contained in the power-off information stored in the power-off information storage unit 27 and the time information received from the time measuring unit 18. Based on this, the elapsed time after the power is turned off is calculated.

  The battery voltage prediction unit 29 includes the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation unit 28, the battery temperature measured by the battery temperature measurement unit 13, and the power supply included in the power-off information stored in the power-off information storage unit 27. The battery voltage is predicted based on the voltage and temperature of the battery when the battery is disconnected and the self-discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit 14.

  The battery remaining amount calculation unit 25 calculates the remaining amount of the battery based on the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 and the battery voltage predicted by the battery voltage prediction unit 29. In this embodiment, a method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery voltage is used, but a method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery discharge current may be used.

  When using the method of detecting the remaining battery level from the battery discharge current, the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation unit 28, the battery temperature measured by the battery temperature measurement unit 13, and the power-off time information storage unit 27 are stored. The battery discharge capacity (mAh) is predicted based on the discharge current and temperature of the battery when the power supply included in the power-off information is cut off, and the self-discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit 14. The battery remaining amount calculation unit 25 calculates the remaining amount of the battery based on the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 and the predicted discharge capacity of the battery.

  The activation control unit 30 determines whether or not the battery remaining amount calculated by the battery remaining amount calculating unit 25 is a sufficient amount to normally activate the OS. If the amount is sufficient, the OS is normally activated. Let If the amount is not sufficient, the activation control unit 30 determines whether or not the remaining amount of the battery is an amount capable of starting the OS with low power consumption. Start with. If the amount cannot be activated with low power consumption, the activation control unit 30 causes the display unit 26 to display an error indicating that the remaining battery level is insufficient, or the remaining battery level.

  The display unit 26 displays an error indicating that the remaining battery level is insufficient or the remaining battery level.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an OS startup control operation according to the second embodiment. The OS startup control process is preferably executed by a boot program (boot loader) before starting the OS in order to obtain a quick result with low power consumption.

  First, the battery temperature measurement part 13 measures the temperature of a battery (step S31). The elapsed time calculation unit 28 receives time information indicating the current date and time from the time measuring unit 18 (step S32). The elapsed time calculation unit 28 is configured to turn off the power based on the date and time when the power is turned off included in the power-off information stored in the power-off information storage unit 27 and the time information received from the time measuring unit 18. Is calculated (step S33).

  The battery voltage prediction unit 29 includes a battery temperature measured by the battery temperature measurement unit 13, an elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation unit 28, power-off time information stored in the power-off time information storage unit 27, and discharge characteristic storage. The battery voltage is predicted based on the self-discharge characteristic data stored in the unit 14 (step S33). Specifically, from the voltage and temperature of the battery when the power supply included in the power-off information stored in the power-off information storage unit 27 is stored, and the battery self-discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit 14 Then, a decrease in the battery voltage over time is calculated, and the current battery voltage is predicted by subtracting the calculated decrease from the battery voltage when the power supply included in the power-off information is cut off.

  The battery remaining amount calculation unit 25 calculates the remaining amount of the battery based on the battery voltage predicted by the battery voltage prediction unit 29 and the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determination unit 15 (step S34). When the remaining amount of the battery is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (step S35; YES), the normal startup process of the OS is performed. The predetermined value is a value indicating a minimum remaining battery level necessary for normally starting the OS. If the remaining battery level calculated in step S34 is less than or equal to the predetermined value (step S35; NO), the activation control unit 30 determines whether the OS can be activated with low power consumption (step S36). When the OS can be started with low power consumption (step S36; YES), the OS is started with low power consumption (step S37). As a method for suppressing the power consumption at the time of starting the OS, there is a method for suppressing the operation clock of the portable device, particularly the CPU.

  When the power is turned off after the OS is started (step S40; YES), the power-off time information storage unit 27 associates the discharge current, temperature, and voltage of the battery when the power is turned off with the date and time when the power is turned off. The information is stored as power-off information (step S41), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, if the OS cannot be started with low power consumption in step S37 (step S36; YES), an error display indicating that the remaining battery level is insufficient or the remaining battery level is displayed on the display unit 26 ( Step S38), the process is terminated. In step S38, it may be difficult to display on the display unit 26 because the OS is not activated or the display on the liquid crystal screen has high power consumption. Therefore, in order to notify the user of the reason why the OS cannot be started, a simple display device such as an LED may be separately provided and used.

  As described above, according to the battery remaining amount display device 1 of the second embodiment, when the OS of the portable device is activated, the difference between the battery temperature when the power is turned off and the battery temperature when the portable device is restarted is considered. OS startup processing or battery remaining amount display can be performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the battery remaining amount display device 1 is mounted on a portable device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various remaining amount displays of batteries. Further, the present invention can be realized within the range of hardware generally provided in an electronic device driven by a battery, and thus can be applied to an electronic device that requires downsizing.

  Moreover, although Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 were demonstrated as separate embodiments for convenience, these embodiments may be combined. That is, the battery remaining amount display device 1 may execute the process of the second embodiment before starting the OS of the portable device, and may execute the process of the first embodiment after starting the OS.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the battery remaining amount display device according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the battery remaining amount display device 1 includes a control unit 31, a main storage unit 32, an external storage unit 33, a timer 34, a display unit 35, a sensor 36, and a transmission / reception unit 37. The main storage unit 32, the external storage unit 33, the timer 34, the display unit 35, the sensor 36, and the transmission / reception unit 37 are all connected to the control unit 31 via the internal bus 40.

  The control unit 31 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and in accordance with a control program 39 stored in the external storage unit 33, the discharge characteristic determination unit 15, the minimum temperature calculation unit 21, the correction data of the remaining battery level display device 1. Each process of the production | generation part 23, the battery remaining charge calculation part 25, the elapsed time calculation part 28, the battery voltage estimation part 29, and the starting control part 30 is performed.

  The main storage unit 32 is composed of a RAM (Random-Access Memory) or the like, loads a control program 39 stored in the external storage unit 33, and is used as a work area for the control unit 31.

  The external storage unit 33 includes a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, a hard disk, a DVD-RAM (Digital Versatile Disc Random-Access Memory), a DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disc ReWritable), and the like. Is stored in advance, and in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 31, the data stored in the program is supplied to the control unit 31 and the data supplied from the control unit 31 is stored. Each of the discharge characteristic storage unit 14, the position information storage unit 17, the temperature information storage unit 20, the minimum temperature storage unit 22, and the power-off time information storage unit 27 is configured by either the main storage unit 32 or the external storage unit 33. The

  The timer 34 includes a real time clock, generates time information indicating the current date and time, and supplies the time information to the control unit 31. The timer 34 functions as the timer unit 18.

  The display unit 35 is composed of a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), or the like, and displays an error display or a battery remaining amount display screen. The display unit 35 may include a touch panel and function as an input unit through which a user inputs data. The display unit 35 functions as the display unit 26.

  The sensor 36 measures the temperature, voltage, and discharge current of the battery of the portable device in which the battery remaining amount display device 1 is mounted, and sends data indicating the measurement result to the control unit 31. The sensor 36 functions as the discharge current measuring unit 12, the battery temperature measuring unit 13, and the battery voltage measuring unit 24.

  The transmission / reception unit 37 includes a network termination device or a wireless communication device connected to the communication network, and a serial interface or a LAN (Local Area Network) interface connected to them. The transmission / reception unit 37 and the control unit 31 function as the position time acquisition unit 16 and the temperature information acquisition unit 19. The transmission / reception unit 37 sends the received position information, current date / time information, and temperature information to the control unit 31.

  The discharge current measuring unit 12, the battery temperature measuring unit 13, the discharge characteristic determining unit 15, the position time acquiring unit 16, the time measuring unit 18, the temperature information acquiring unit 19, the minimum temperature calculating unit 21, and the correction data generation shown in FIGS. Unit 23, battery voltage measurement unit 24, battery remaining amount calculation unit 25, display unit 26, elapsed time calculation unit 28, battery voltage prediction unit 29, and start-up control unit 30 are processed by control program 39, control unit 31, The processing is executed by using the storage unit 32, the external storage unit 33, the timer 34, the display unit 35, the sensor 36, the transmission / reception unit 37, and the like as resources.

  In addition, the hardware configuration and the flowchart described above are merely examples, and can be arbitrarily changed and modified.

  The central part that performs the battery remaining amount display process composed of the control unit 31, the main storage unit 32, the external storage unit 33, the timer 34, the display unit 35, the transmission / reception unit 37, the internal bus 40, etc. is a dedicated system. Regardless, it can be realized using a normal computer system. For example, a computer program for executing the above operation is stored and distributed in a computer-readable recording medium (flexible disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), and the computer program is installed in the computer. Thus, a sensor node that executes the above-described processing may be configured. Alternatively, the sensor node may be configured by storing the computer program in a storage device included in a server device on a communication network such as the Internet and downloading it by a normal computer system.

  In addition, when the function of the sensor node is realized by sharing of the OS (operating system) and the application program, or by cooperation between the OS and the application program, only the application program part is stored in a recording medium or a storage device. Also good.

  It is also possible to superimpose a computer program on a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the computer program may be posted on a bulletin board (BBS, Bulletin Board System) on a communication network, and the computer program may be distributed via the communication network. The computer program may be started and executed in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the OS, so that the above-described processing may be executed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery remaining amount display apparatus 12 Discharge current measurement part (it constitutes a part of voltage current measurement part)
13 Battery temperature measurement unit 14 Discharge characteristic storage unit (self-discharge data storage unit)
15 Discharge characteristic determination unit 16 Position time acquisition unit (position information acquisition unit)
17 Position information storage unit 18 Timekeeping unit 19 Temperature information acquisition unit (temperature detection unit)
20 Temperature information storage unit 21 Minimum temperature calculation unit 22 Minimum temperature storage unit 23 Correction data generation unit 24 Battery voltage measurement unit (part of voltage / current measurement unit)
25 Battery remaining amount calculation unit (first remaining amount calculation unit, second remaining amount calculation unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 26 Display part 27 Information storage part at the time of power-off 28 Elapsed time calculation part 29 Battery voltage prediction part 30 Start-up control part 31 Control part 32 Main storage part 33 External storage part 34 Timer 35 Display part 36 Sensor 37 Transmission / reception part 39 Control program

Claims (8)

A battery remaining amount display device that displays a remaining amount of a battery that supplies electric power to an electronic device,
A discharge characteristic storage unit that stores discharge characteristic data indicating a relationship between the voltage, capacity, and temperature of the battery;
A location information acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the current location;
Based on the position information, a temperature information acquisition unit that acquires temperature information indicating an expected value of the temperature of the current location in a period including a predetermined period from the present to a certain time in the future;
Based on the temperature information, a minimum temperature calculation unit that calculates the minimum temperature of the current location for the predetermined period;
A battery temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature of the battery;
Based on the temperature of the battery, from the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit, a discharge characteristic determination unit that determines the appropriate discharge characteristic data;
Correction that corrects the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determination unit based on the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit, the temperature of the battery, and the minimum temperature, and generates corrected discharge characteristic data A data generator;
A voltage / current measurement unit for measuring the voltage or discharge current of the battery;
A first remaining amount calculating unit for calculating a corrected remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage or discharge current of the battery and the corrected discharge characteristic data;
A display unit for displaying the corrected remaining battery level;
A battery remaining amount display device comprising: A self-discharge data storage unit for storing self-discharge characteristic data indicating a relationship between a self-discharge amount of the battery, voltage, and temperature;
A power-off time information storage unit for storing power-off time information including the date and time when the electronic device is turned off and the temperature and voltage of the battery;
An elapsed time calculating unit that calculates an elapsed time from the date and time when the power supply included in the power-off information is turned off when the electronic device is turned on;
Based on the elapsed time, the voltage and temperature of the battery when the power supply included in the power-off information is cut off, the temperature of the battery measured by the battery temperature measurement unit, and the self-discharge characteristic data A battery voltage prediction unit for predicting the voltage of the battery;
A second remaining amount calculating unit that calculates the remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage of the battery predicted by the battery voltage predicting unit and the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determining unit;
The battery remaining amount according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that controls activation of an OS of the electronic device based on the remaining amount of the battery calculated by the second remaining amount calculating unit. Display device.   The control unit determines whether or not the OS can be started based on the remaining amount of the battery calculated by the second remaining amount calculating unit, and when the OS can be started, 3. The OS according to claim 2, wherein the OS is started by a method suitable for the remaining amount, and if the OS cannot be started, an error or the remaining amount of the battery is displayed on the display unit. Battery level indicator. The first remaining amount calculating unit further calculates an uncorrected remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage or discharge current of the battery and the discharge characteristic data determined by the discharge characteristic determining unit,
4. The battery remaining amount display according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays both the corrected remaining amount of the battery and the uncorrected remaining amount of the battery. 5. apparatus. It has a temperature detector that detects the temperature of the current location,
5. The battery remaining capacity display device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature information acquisition unit corrects the temperature information based on a temperature of a current location detected by the temperature detection unit. . The voltage / current measurement unit measures at least the discharge current of the battery,
6. The battery remaining capacity display device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge characteristic determination unit determines the discharge characteristic data that is suitable from a temperature and a discharge current of the battery. A battery remaining amount display method executed by a battery remaining amount display device that displays a remaining amount of a battery that supplies power to an electronic device,
A location information acquisition step for acquiring location information indicating the current location;
Based on the position information, temperature information acquisition step for acquiring temperature information indicating an expected value of the temperature of the current location in a period including a predetermined period from the present to a certain time in the future;
Based on the temperature information, a minimum temperature calculating step for calculating a minimum temperature for the predetermined period of the current location;
A battery temperature measuring step for measuring the temperature of the battery;
Based on the temperature of the battery, from the discharge characteristic data indicating the relationship between the voltage, capacity and temperature of the battery stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit, the discharge characteristic determination step for determining the suitable discharge characteristic data;
Correction for correcting the discharge characteristic data determined in the discharge characteristic determination step based on the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage unit, the temperature of the battery, and the minimum temperature, and generating corrected discharge characteristic data A data generation step;
A voltage / current measurement step for measuring the voltage or discharge current of the battery;
A first remaining amount calculating step of calculating a corrected remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage or discharge current of the battery and the corrected discharge characteristic data;
A display step for displaying the corrected remaining battery level;
The battery remaining amount display method characterized by comprising. In a computer provided in a battery remaining amount display device that displays the remaining amount of a battery that supplies power to an electronic device,
A discharge characteristic storage step for storing discharge characteristic data indicating a relationship between the voltage, capacity and temperature of the battery;
A location information acquisition step for acquiring location information indicating the current location;
Temperature information acquisition step for acquiring temperature information indicating an expected value of the temperature of the current location in a period including a predetermined period from the present to a certain time in the future based on the position information;
Based on the temperature information, a minimum temperature calculating step for calculating a minimum temperature for the predetermined period of the current location,
A battery temperature measuring step for measuring the temperature of the battery;
A discharge characteristic determining step for determining suitable discharge characteristic data from the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storing step based on the temperature of the battery;
Based on the discharge characteristic data stored in the discharge characteristic storage step, the temperature of the battery, and the minimum temperature, the discharge characteristic data determined in the discharge characteristic determination step is corrected to generate corrected discharge characteristic data. Correction data generation step to perform,
A voltage / current measurement step for measuring the voltage or discharge current of the battery;
A first remaining amount calculating step for calculating a corrected remaining amount of the battery based on the voltage or discharge current of the battery and the corrected discharge characteristic data; and
A display step for displaying the corrected remaining battery level;
A program characterized by having executed.

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