JP2019201463A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable voltage confirmation processing to be normally performed on each battery even if one battery is empty in electronic equipment to which a plurality of batteries are connected.SOLUTION: Electronic equipment (100) to which a plurality of batteries are connected includes: control means controlling the electronic equipment; power source switching means switching a power source route so that power source route is connectable to each battery in the electronic equipment; battery voltage comparing means comparing a voltage of each battery in the electronic equipment; supply mode setting means controlling the power source switching means so that electric power is supplied from a battery having a higher voltage based on the comparison result of the battery voltage comparing means; and optional designation mode setting means controlling the power source switching means so that a battery to be connected is optionally designated according to a sequence of the control means. The power source switching means is controlled so that the electronic equipment enters a supply mode immediately after starting when a consumption current is large and enters an arbitrary designation mode after an elapse of a predetermined time during which the consumption current possibly reduces.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device to which a plurality of batteries are connected.

  Patent Document 1 describes a method in which a battery having the highest voltage supplies power when a plurality of batteries having different voltages are loaded.

JP 2008-158287 A

  When a plurality of batteries are loaded in such a device, in order to check battery information in preparation for charging or starting, processing for switching the power supply path to each battery and checking the battery voltage is required as shown in FIG. It is.

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, since the power supply path is always connected to the battery having the highest voltage, the voltage cannot be confirmed by switching the power supply path to each battery. Also, in the configuration in which the power supply path to the microcomputer and the voltage confirmation path are combined as shown in FIG. 7, if one battery is an empty battery with no remaining power, the power path is switched to the empty battery side. Because there is no output from the battery, there is no power supply source to circuits such as microcomputers. As shown in FIG. 8 (a), when the timing of the start-up process that increases the current consumption overlaps with it, the power is insufficient and the voltage drops as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the microcomputer does not operate and the electronic device itself is There was a problem of shutting down.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 9, a configuration in which two battery outputs are physically connected to battery voltage detection means such as a microcomputer for voltage detection separately from the power supply path can be considered. Will increase and lead to cost increase.

  Therefore, the present invention enables a voltage check process for each battery to be normally performed even when one of the batteries is empty, in an electronic device to which a plurality of batteries are connected, while having a configuration with reduced cost. The purpose is to do.

  An electronic device according to the present invention is an electronic device to which a plurality of batteries are connected, and a power supply path so that the control means for controlling the electronic device can be connected to each of the batteries in the electronic device. The power source switching means for switching, the battery voltage comparison means for comparing the voltages of the batteries in the electronic device, and the power source switching means for supplying power from a battery having a high voltage based on the comparison result of the battery voltage comparison means Supply mode setting means for controlling the power supply, and arbitrary designation mode setting means for controlling the power supply switching means so as to arbitrarily designate a battery to be connected according to the sequence of the control means. The power supply switching means is controlled so as to enter the arbitrarily designated mode after the elapse of a predetermined time when the current consumption is expected to be reduced.

  According to the present invention, in an electronic device to which a plurality of batteries are connected, it is possible to normally perform voltage confirmation processing for each battery even if one of the batteries is empty while having a configuration with reduced cost. it can.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an electronic device 100 according to a first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the electronic device 100 according to the first embodiment. 3 is a graph illustrating a relationship between current and voltage in the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the electronic device 200 in Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the electronic device 200 according to the second embodiment. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between current and voltage in Embodiment 2. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the electronic device 700 in the prior art example 1. FIG. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the electric current in the prior art example 1, and a voltage. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the electronic device 900 in the prior art example 2. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment, an example of the electronic device 100 that temporally controls the power supply switching unit will be described in a supply mode immediately after startup with a large current consumption, and in an arbitrary designation mode after a predetermined time when the current consumption is expected to decrease.

  Hereinafter, a configuration example and an operation example of the electronic device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the configuration diagram of FIG. 1, the flowchart of FIG. 2, and the graph of FIG. 3.

  With reference to FIG. 1, the structural example of the electronic device 100 in Embodiment 1 is demonstrated. In FIG. 1, an electronic device 100 includes a microcomputer 101, a power supply switching unit 105, a battery voltage comparison unit 106, a supply mode setting unit 107, a charging unit 108, a first battery mounting detection unit 109, and a second battery mounting detection unit 110. The first battery 111 and the second battery 112 are included. The microcomputer 101 includes a battery voltage detection unit 102, a charge execution determination unit 103, and an arbitrary designation mode setting unit 104.

  The battery voltage detection unit 102 detects the voltage output from the battery connected by the power supply switching unit 105. Charging execution determination unit 103 determines whether or not to execute charging from the battery voltage value detected by battery voltage detection unit 102 and controls charging unit 108. The arbitrary designation mode setting unit 104 controls the power supply switching unit 105 to arbitrarily designate a battery to be connected according to the sequence of the electronic device control means. The power supply switching unit 105 charges the battery from which the first battery 111 or the second battery 112 supplies power to the electronic device 100, or which battery is the first battery 111 or the second battery 112. Switch the power supply route.

  The battery voltage comparison unit 106 compares the voltages of the first battery 111 and the second battery 112 loaded in the electronic device 100. Supply mode setting section 107 controls power supply switching section 105 so as to supply power from the battery having the higher voltage among first battery 111 and second battery 112 based on the result of battery voltage comparison section 106. The charging unit 108 charges the first battery 111 and the second battery 112. The first battery attachment detection unit 109 detects whether or not the first battery 111 is attached. The second battery attachment detection unit 110 detects whether or not the second battery 112 is attached.

  The first battery 111 and the second battery 112 are batteries attached to the electronic device 100. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the first battery 111 is an empty battery and the second battery 112 is a normal battery having a certain remaining amount.

  Next, an operation example of the electronic device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S <b> 101, the first battery attachment detection unit 109 detects whether or not the first battery 111 is attached to the electronic device 100. If so, the process proceeds to step S103; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S102. In step S <b> 102, the second battery attachment detection unit 110 detects whether or not the second battery 112 is attached to the electronic device 100. If it is mounted, step S103 is repeated; otherwise, step S101 is repeated. In either of steps S101 and S102, it is determined that one of the batteries is loaded and the process proceeds to S103.

  In step S <b> 103, the battery voltage comparison unit 106 compares the voltages of the first battery 111 and the second battery 112. In step S <b> 104, the power supply switching unit 107 connects the power supply path to the battery having the higher voltage among the first battery 111 and the second battery 112 based on the comparison result in the battery voltage comparison unit 106. 105 is controlled. In step S105, the state where power is supplied from the battery having a high voltage in step S104 is held for a predetermined time. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the start-up process of the microcomputer is performed during this process immediately after the start-up, and the current consumption increases. However, since power is supplied from a battery having a high voltage, the process shown in FIG. As shown, there is no voltage drop across the microcomputer.

  In step S <b> 106, the first battery attachment detection unit 109 detects again whether or not the first battery 111 is attached to the electronic device 100. If so, the process proceeds to step S107, and if not, the process proceeds to step S109.

  In step S <b> 107, the arbitrary designation mode setting unit 104 controls the power supply switching unit 105 to connect the power supply path to the first battery 111. This time, the first battery 111 is an empty battery, so the power supply source disappears and the voltage decreases. However, the microcomputer activation process with large current consumption ends at the timing of step S105, and the current consumption is small at this stage. Therefore, power does not run short and does not fall below the microcomputer operation threshold. In step S108, the battery voltage detection unit 102 detects the voltage of the first battery 111 that is currently connected.

  In step S109, the second battery attachment detection unit 110 detects again whether or not the second battery 112 is attached to the electronic device 100. If so, the process proceeds to step S110; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S112. In step S <b> 110, the arbitrary designation mode setting unit 104 controls the power supply switching unit 105 to connect the power supply path to the second battery 112. This time, since the second battery 112 is a normal battery and outputs voltage, there is no voltage drop. In step S111, the battery voltage detection unit 102 detects the voltage of the second battery 112 that is currently connected.

  In step S112, the first battery attachment detection unit 109 detects again whether or not the first battery 111 is attached to the electronic device 100. If so, the process proceeds to step S113; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S116. In step S113, the charge execution determination unit 103 determines whether to charge the first battery 111 based on whether the voltage value of the first battery 111 detected in step S108 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. If it is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S114 to perform charging, and if not, the process proceeds to step S116 without performing charging.

  In step S <b> 114, the arbitrary designation mode setting unit 104 controls the power supply switching unit 105 to connect the power supply path to the first battery 111. In step S <b> 115, the charging unit 108 charges the first battery 111. In step S116, the second battery attachment detection unit 110 detects again whether or not the second battery 112 is attached to the electronic device 100. If so, the process ends at step S117. Otherwise, the process ends.

  In step S117, the charging execution determination unit 103 determines whether to charge the second battery 112 based on whether the voltage value of the second battery 112 detected in step S111 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. If it is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S118 to perform charging, and if not, the process is terminated without performing charging. In step S118, the arbitrary designation mode setting unit 104 controls the power supply switching unit 105 to connect the power supply path to the second battery 112. In step S <b> 119, the charging unit 108 charges the second battery 112.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the power supply switching unit is temporally controlled in the supply mode immediately after startup with a large current consumption, and in the arbitrarily designated mode after a predetermined time when the current consumption is expected to decrease. As a result, even if one of the batteries is empty, a system capable of normally performing the voltage confirmation process for each battery becomes possible.

  In the configuration diagram of FIG. 1 and the flowchart of FIG. 2, the processing when two batteries are mounted is described. However, the number is not necessarily two, and may be one or more. In the configuration diagram of FIG. 1, an example in which the power supply voltage comparison unit 106 and the supply mode setting unit 107 are configured as separate components from the microcomputer 101 is described. A function may be built in.

[Embodiment 2]
In the second embodiment, an example of the electronic device 200 that controls the power supply switching unit according to the consumption current will be described in the supply mode if the consumption current is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and in the arbitrary designation mode if the consumption current becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value.

  Hereinafter, a configuration example and an operation example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the configuration diagram of FIG. 4, the flowchart of FIG. 5, and the graph of FIG. 6. With reference to FIG. 4, the structural example of the electronic device 200 in Embodiment 2 is demonstrated. In FIG. 4, a current consumption measuring unit 213 measures a current value consumed by the microcomputer 101 every predetermined time. Other configurations 200 to 212 are the same as 100 to 112 in FIG. 1 in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  Next, an operation example of the electronic device 200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that steps S201 to S204 and S207 to S220 of FIG. 5 are the same as steps S101 to S104 and S106 to S119 of FIG. In step S205, the current consumption measuring unit 213 measures the current value consumed by the microcomputer 101 every predetermined time.

  In step S206, the consumption current measuring unit 213 determines whether the measured consumption current is equal to or less than a predetermined value. If it is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, it is determined that the activation process of the microcomputer has been completed, and the process returns to step S207. Otherwise, it is determined that the activation process has not been completed, and the process returns to step S205. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the current consumption increases in the starting process of the microcomputer during this process immediately after starting, but since power is supplied from a battery with a high voltage in step S204, FIG. 6 (b). As shown in the figure, there is no drop in the microcomputer voltage.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the power supply switching unit is controlled in accordance with the consumption current in the supply mode when the consumption current is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, and in the arbitrarily designated mode when the consumption current is equal to or less than the predetermined value. Thus, a system that can normally perform voltage confirmation processing on each battery even when one battery is empty becomes possible.

  In the configuration diagram of FIG. 4 and the flowchart of FIG. 5, the processing when two batteries are mounted is described. However, the number is not necessarily two, and may be one or more. In the configuration diagram of FIG. 4, an example in which the power supply voltage comparison unit 206, the supply mode setting unit 207, and the current consumption measurement unit 213 are configured separately from the microcomputer 201 is described. Alternatively, the function may be built in the microcomputer 201.

  The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described first or second embodiment. The above-described first or second embodiment that is changed or modified without departing from the gist of the invention is also included in the embodiment of the present invention.

100 electronic equipment 200 electronic equipment

Claims (4)

An electronic device to which a plurality of batteries are connected,
Control means for controlling the electronic device;
Power supply switching means for switching the power supply path so that connection to each of the batteries in the electronic device is possible;
Battery voltage comparison means for comparing the voltages of the batteries in the electronic device;
From the comparison result of the battery voltage comparison means, supply mode setting means for controlling the power supply switching means to supply power from a battery having a high voltage;
An arbitrary designation mode setting means for controlling the power supply switching means to arbitrarily designate a battery to be connected according to a sequence of the control means,
An electronic apparatus characterized in that the power supply switching means is controlled so as to be in a supply mode immediately after start-up with a large current consumption and to be in an arbitrarily designated mode after a lapse of a predetermined time expected to reduce the current consumption.   2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a battery voltage detection unit, wherein a battery to be connected is arbitrarily designated by the arbitrary designation mode setting unit, and a battery voltage confirmation process is performed by the battery voltage detection unit. . Charging means capable of charging each battery;
The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a charge execution determination unit that determines whether or not a charge operation is performed based on a confirmation result of the battery voltage detection unit.   2. The power supply switching means according to claim 1, further comprising: a current consumption measuring means, wherein the power supply switching means is controlled in a supply mode when the current consumption is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and in an arbitrary designation mode when the current consumption is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Electronic equipment.