JP3612495B2 - Mobile communication terminal with battery level indicator - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a battery remaining amount display method in a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone using a battery as a power source.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When communicating with a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone that uses a battery as a power source, in order to avoid becoming unusable due to running out of battery during standby or during a call, the terminal will provide an indication of the remaining time that can be operated by the battery being installed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-69442 and Japanese Patent No. 3001516 disclose a technique for displaying on the LCD display unit.
[0003]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a power supply unit and a control unit in a mobile phone.
[0004]
The cellular phone device 1 has a CPU 9 for performing control and determination processing such as a call, standby, LCD display, etc. performed by the device, a battery 4 for supplying power to the device, charging the battery 4, and starting or ending charging. The charging circuit 3 that performs the above information on the CPU 9, the external power supply terminal 2 that supplies power from an external power source when charging, the A / D conversion circuit 5 that converts the battery voltage value from an analog value to a digital value, and the battery 4 A battery presence / absence detection circuit 6 for detecting presence / absence of battery, a ROM 7 for storing a battery remaining level switching voltage table value at the time of a call and standby, an SRAM 8 for temporarily storing a calculation result of the CPU 9, and a battery remaining An LCD 10 for displaying a quantity level, a timer 11, a backlight 12, a VIB 13, and the like that are lit or vibrated when an incoming call is received.
[0005]
In order to display the remaining battery level, the voltage value for switching the remaining battery level is stored in advance in the ROM 7 as a table value based on the discharge characteristics of the battery attached to the mobile phone device. The voltage is periodically measured, and the battery remaining level display is switched when the threshold value of the table is detected by referring to the table in the ROM 7 and displayed on the LCD 10 as the battery remaining value level.
[0006]
In general, the discharge characteristics of a battery mounted on a mobile phone device have a characteristic that the voltage decreases with the passage of time under a certain load condition. By measuring automatically, the remaining battery level can be ascertained.
[0007]
FIG. 9 shows an example of a general discharge characteristic of the battery 4 to be mounted on the mobile phone device. For example, the battery voltage range from 4.2 V to 3.2 V is set as an operable range, and the remaining battery level during that time is shown. For example, level 3, level 2, level 1, and alarm are switched and displayed.
[0008]
Level 3, level 2, and level 1 are set such that the time interval in the discharge characteristics shown in FIG. 9 becomes a ratio of, for example, 7: 2: 1. The values are set to 3.7V, 3.5V, and 3.3V. In addition, an alarm is displayed below 3.3V.
[0009]
FIG. 10 shows an example of the remaining battery level switching table stored in the ROM 7, where A is the remaining battery level switching table during a call, and B is the remaining battery level switching table during standby. Yes.
[0010]
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a conventional battery remaining amount display operation when a battery having the characteristics of FIG. 9 is used. Hereinafter, a conventional battery remaining amount display method will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 9, 10, and 11.
[0011]
When the mobile phone 1 is turned on, there are two main states: when talking with the other party and when waiting without talking. At this time, the battery voltage is lower during a call with a heavy load, and the discharge characteristics are different from those during standby.
[0012]
The CPU 9 periodically measures the battery voltage of the battery 4 by the A / D conversion circuit 5 in each state during the call and standby. For example, in the standby mode, the CPU 9 compares the voltage of the battery 4 obtained by the A / D conversion circuit 5 with the standby table B stored in the ROM 7 in advance. I do.
[0013]
When the battery voltage VB is 3.5V ≦ VB <3.7V, 3.3V ≦ VB <3.5V, and VB <3.3V, level 2, level 1, and alarm are displayed on the LCD 10, respectively. .
[0014]
Even during a call, as in the case of standby, this time, if the battery voltage is 3.4 V or higher and smaller than 3.6 V, for example, as compared with the table A at the time of call shown in FIG. Is displayed.
[0015]
Further, when the battery voltage rises due to battery replacement or charging while the level 2 is displayed at the standby time, the battery voltage is compared with the standby table B stored in the ROM 7, and the battery voltage is 3.8V or higher. Then, level 3 is displayed on the LCD 10.
[0016]
As described above, the conventional simplified battery level display device assumes that the discharge characteristics of the battery 4 draw a curve as shown in FIG. Since the battery remaining level switching voltage is determined in advance, the threshold value table is stored in the ROM 7, and the battery remaining level display is switched by comparing with the threshold value. Can do.
[0017]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above conventional example, it is assumed that the discharge characteristic of the battery mounted on the mobile phone device draws a curve as shown in FIG. 9, but this discharge characteristic is temporary at the switching threshold of the remaining battery level. If the battery voltage is maintained at a constant value and has a discharge characteristic such that the voltage does not change for a while, even if the ratio of the remaining battery level is set to 7: 2: 1, for example, There is a problem that the point of switching the remaining battery level is shifted and the remaining battery level cannot be accurately displayed.
[0018]
FIG. 2 shows an example of discharge characteristics that may cause the above problem, and the voltage does not change for a while at a threshold voltage of 3.5 V for switching the remaining battery level from level 2 to level 1 when waiting for an incoming call. Due to the characteristics, even if the ratio of the remaining battery level is set to 7: 2: 1, for example, the remaining battery level cannot be accurately displayed when switching from level 2 to level 1. .
[0019]
In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is such that the discharge characteristics of the battery do not temporarily change in the vicinity of the battery level switching, so it is difficult to associate the discharge characteristics of the battery with the remaining battery level. An object of the present invention is to provide means for increasing the level display accuracy of the remaining battery level by enabling optimal display of the remaining battery level even with the battery.
[0020]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, the battery voltage reaches a level near the level switching threshold so that the remaining battery level can be optimally displayed even for a battery whose discharge characteristics do not change temporarily near the level switching threshold. It is characterized in that a means for switching the level when the amount of current consumption exceeds a predetermined value is calculated by calculating the amount of current consumption from the time point when the amount of current consumption exceeds a predetermined value.
[0021]
Specifically, in addition to the conventional method, the amount of current consumption for each call operation from a certain point in time, VIB vibration operation, backlight lighting, etc. is calculated, and when a certain amount of current consumption is reached, the battery It is characterized by increasing the accuracy of the battery remaining level display by combining the method of switching the level.
[0022]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Since the overall configuration of a mobile phone to which the present invention is applied is the same as that of the conventional example, an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the mobile phone device shown in FIG.
[0023]
Similar to the conventional example, the cellular phone device 1 performs a CPU 9 for performing all kinds of control and judgment processing such as a call, standby, LCD display, etc., a battery 4 for supplying power to the device, and charging the battery 4. Charging circuit 3 that performs charging start or end information to CPU 9, external power supply terminal 2 that supplies power from an external power source when charging, and A / D conversion that converts a battery voltage value from an analog value to a digital value A circuit 5, a battery presence / absence detection circuit 6 for detecting the presence / absence of the battery 4, a ROM 7, an SRAM 8, an LCD 10 for displaying a remaining battery level, a timer 11, and a backlight that is lit or vibrated when an incoming call is received. 12, VIB13 and the like.
[0024]
The ROM 7 of the present invention stores an average current consumption table in each state such as a call, standby, lighting of the backlight 12, operation of the VIB 13 in addition to a battery remaining level switching voltage table at the time of calling and waiting. In addition, the consumption current amount calculated by the CPU 9 is also temporarily stored in the SRAM 8 that temporarily stores the calculation result of the CPU 9, and is referred to for switching the remaining battery level.
[0025]
FIG. 3 is a table showing the embodiment of the present invention stored in advance in the ROM 7 when the discharge characteristics of the battery have the characteristics shown in FIG. Tables C and D indicating the average current consumption value during each call, standby, backlight lighting, and VIB operation, and the current consumption amount used by the mobile phone based on this table E A table F is provided that shows values for switching and switching the remaining battery level according to the amount of current consumption.
[0026]
In the present embodiment, for example, according to the standby battery remaining amount switching voltage table D, instead of the threshold value 3.5V for switching from level 2 to level 1, a level 2A point of 3.52V or lower and a level of 3.48V or higher Set the level 2B point and switch from level 2 to level 1 when it is less than 3.48V, and switch the remaining battery level between the level 2A and 2B points depending on the amount of current consumed during that time. Yes.
[0027]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present embodiment when the remaining battery level shown in FIG. 2 falls below the A point. FIG. 5 shows the VIB operation during the basic flow operation of FIG. This is a flowchart in which the CPU 9 calculates the amount of current consumed by the VIB operation at that time as an example. The switching from level 3 to level 2 is the same as in the conventional example (FIG. 11). The operation of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and FIG.
[0028]
The battery remaining amount table stored in the ROM 7 in advance uses the table C at the time of calling and the table D at the time of waiting shown in FIG. 3, for example, when switching from the battery level 2 to the A point of level 2 during the waiting, that is, FIG. After the battery level 2 is displayed in the conventional battery remaining amount display flow shown in FIG. 4, the operation of the basic flow for switching from level 2 to 1 in FIG.
[0029]
The CPU 9 operates according to the basic flow for switching the current consumption amount consumed by the mobile phone 1 from the level 2 to the level 1 shown in FIG. 4 based on the current values in the table E shown in FIG. And calculate.
[0030]
For example, when the CPU 9 controls and operates the VIB 13 during standby, an event that the VIB 13 operates occurs, so the CPU 9 jumps to the flow shown in FIG. 5 and operates the VIB 13 using the timer 11. Measure time.
[0031]
Here, the amount of current consumption when VIB 13 vibrates is calculated by multiplying the time when VIB 13 vibrates and the average current consumption amount of VIB in Table E. Since the vibration time of the VIB 13 is also in the standby state at the same time, the CPU 9 calculates the average current consumption amount at the time of standby and stores the calculation result in the SRAM 8 as the current amount consumed by the mobile phone 1. .
[0032]
Similarly, when a call is made, the CPU 9 calculates the current consumption amount of the mobile phone 1 from the average current consumption amount and the call time in the table E by the same operation as the flow of FIG. Is turned on, the current consumption amount of the mobile phone 1 is calculated from the average current consumption amount when the backlight of the table E is turned on and the time when the backlight 12 is turned on, and the result is stored in the SRAM 8.
[0033]
At this time, if the total amount of current consumption stored in the SRAM 8 exceeds the amount of current consumption shown in the table F stored in advance in the ROM 7, the CPU 9 switches the battery level display on the LCD 10 to level 1.
[0034]
As described above, even in the case of a battery having a discharge characteristic as shown in FIG. 2, by using the conventional method and the method for calculating the current consumption amount of the present invention together, the remaining battery level can be displayed more. It can be displayed on the LCD 10 with high accuracy.
[0035]
6 to 7 are flowcharts showing the operation when the remaining battery exceeds the A point of level 2 and there is a battery detachment at the time when the current consumption is being measured.
[0036]
When the battery level exceeds the A point of level 2 and the battery is removed at the time when the amount of current consumption is being measured, the CPU 9 determines whether there is a momentary interruption or a momentary interruption by the battery presence / absence detection circuit 6. The momentary interruption means a battery detachment state for about 1 to 4 seconds, and can return to the state before the momentary interruption for about 4 seconds.
[0037]
This is a well-known function as a mobile phone. For example, when a battery disconnection is detected, a momentary interruption timer that operates with a backup battery or the like is activated to count the momentary interruption time. The CPU 9 refers to this count value and determines whether or not there is an instantaneous interruption.
[0038]
It is possible to judge that the same battery has been reattached if there is a momentary interruption, but it is also possible to quickly replace the battery at this time, so the battery voltage after the momentary interruption is measured and the battery voltage level is level. If the voltage is higher than the A point of 2, it can be considered that the battery has been replaced.
[0039]
Therefore, in this case, the current consumption data stored in the SRAM 8 that has been stored so far is no longer necessary and is cleared, and the level according to the table C is displayed on the LCD 10 based on the measured voltage.
[0040]
If the measured battery voltage level is lower than the level 2 A point, it is determined that the same battery has been reattached, and if the measured battery voltage is higher than the level 2 B point, it is stored in the SRAM 8 until then. The measured data is used as it is, and the current consumption is continuously measured, and level 2 is displayed on the LCD 10 as it is.
[0041]
On the other hand, when it is not a momentary interruption (the power supply is completely turned off), it is considered that the consumption current amount data stored in the SRAM 8 is destroyed due to the power interruption. As shown in FIG. The battery voltage measurement is started after the data in the SRAM 8 is cleared when the power is turned on next time.
[0042]
When the measured battery voltage level is higher than the A point of level 2, it is considered that the battery has been replaced. Therefore, the LCD 10 displays the level according to Table C based on the measured voltage.
[0043]
If the measured battery voltage level is lower than the A point of level 2 (for example, if the battery voltage level during standby after battery re-installation is 3.48V or more and 3.52V or less), the same battery However, since the SRAM 8 data is cleared, it is impossible to display the remaining battery level with high accuracy according to the above embodiment. By doing so, display errors are reduced.
[0044]
That is, in the case of 3.48V or more and 3.52V or less, since it is not possible to determine where the remaining battery level is, the CPU 9 displays level 2 on the LCD 10 and the amount of current consumed thereafter is, for example, the F table value. Control is performed so that the battery level is switched to 1 at the earlier time point when 50% is reached or the battery voltage becomes less than 3.48V.
[0045]
Here, as an example, there is a condition for switching the battery level from 2 to 1 at 50% of the F table value. This is because the remaining battery level of the same battery that has been remounted is set to 3.52V to 3.48V. If it is set as an intermediate point, it is possible to reduce the deviation from the point to be originally switched in terms of probability.
[0046]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the CPU 9 when charging is started from the external power supply terminal 2 during standby while the remaining battery level exceeds the A point of level 2 and the amount of current consumption is being measured.
[0047]
When the battery 4 starts charging from the external power supply terminal 2 by the charging circuit 3 during standby while the remaining battery level exceeds the A point of level 2 and the current consumption is being measured, the CPU 9 stores the SRAM 8 in the SRAM 8. The data of the current consumption amount stored so far is cleared, and the battery level 3 is displayed on the LCD 10.
[0048]
In addition, when charging is completed in the middle of charging during standby, when the battery measurement voltage at the end of charging is 3.52 V or more, according to Table D, if the measurement voltage is 3.7 V or more, level 3 is set. If it is 3.7V or less, level 2 is displayed.
[0049]
On the other hand, when the measured voltage is 3.48V or more and 3.52V or less, it is not possible to determine at which point the remaining battery level is at the end of the charging, so the CPU 9 displays the level 2 on the LCD 10 and performs charging. Measurement of current consumption is started from the end point, and whether the amount of consumed current has reached, for example, 50% of the F table value, or the battery voltage is less than 3.48V, as in the case of battery removal. Control is made to switch to battery level 1 at the earlier time.
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the ratio of the remaining battery level is optimized even when a battery having a discharge characteristic that causes a switching display error due to a small voltage change at the switching point of the remaining battery level is used. It can be displayed on the LCD.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a mobile phone device to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of discharge characteristics of a battery to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a table stored in a ROM of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a basic flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a partial flowchart in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing still another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a typical discharge characteristic example of a battery attached to a mobile phone device.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a table stored in a conventional ROM.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a conventional battery remaining amount display operation.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cellular phone apparatus 2 External power supply terminal 3 Charging circuit 4 Battery 5 A / D conversion circuit 6 Battery presence / absence detection circuit 7 ROM
8 SRAM
9 CPU
10 LCD
11 Timer 12 Backlight 13 VIB

Claims (8)

Means for measuring the voltage of a battery mounted on a mobile phone; and a first memory storing a battery remaining level switching voltage table in which a battery remaining level switching threshold voltage is set in accordance with the battery discharge characteristics; Control means for periodically measuring the battery voltage and performing level switching control of the remaining battery level by referring to the measured battery voltage and a threshold voltage stored in the remaining battery level switching voltage table And a mobile communication terminal comprising display means for displaying the level of the remaining battery level,
The battery remaining level switching voltage table stored in the first memory includes a first voltage that is in the vicinity of the battery remaining level switching threshold voltage and higher than the threshold voltage. A second voltage lower than the threshold voltage is set,
The control means includes a current amount measuring means for measuring a current consumption amount of the mobile phone from when the battery voltage becomes equal to or lower than the first voltage, and the measured current consumption amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. A portable communication terminal with a battery level display function, comprising level switching means for switching the level of the battery level when the battery level is reached. 2. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery remaining level switching voltage table comprises a battery remaining level switching voltage table referred to during a call and a battery remaining level switching voltage table referenced during standby. Mobile communication terminal with remaining level display function. In the first memory, an average current consumption table indicating a relationship between a plurality of operation states of the mobile terminal and an average current consumption value in each operation state, and the remaining battery level according to the measured current consumption amount A battery level switching consumption current amount table in which a predetermined threshold for level switching is set is stored, and the current amount measuring means refers to the average consumption current table in each state to determine the consumption current. 3. The mobile communication with a battery remaining level display function according to claim 1, wherein a total amount is measured, and the level switching means performs level switching control with reference to the battery level switching current consumption table. Terminal. The control means sets the level of the remaining battery level when the measured value of the battery voltage becomes equal to or lower than the second voltage before the measured total amount of consumed current reaches the predetermined threshold value. The mobile communication terminal with a battery remaining level display function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising level switching means for switching. A second memory for storing the total amount of current consumption measured by the current amount measuring unit; and the control unit includes the total amount of current consumption stored in the second memory and the first memory 5. The mobile communication terminal with battery remaining level display function according to claim 3, wherein level switching control is performed by referring to the predetermined threshold value stored in a memory. The control means includes instantaneous disconnection determination means for receiving a battery disconnection information from a battery presence / absence detection means for detecting a battery attachment state to determine whether or not there is an instantaneous disconnection, and the current amount measurement means includes the current consumption amount. When it is determined that the battery detachment that occurred during the measurement is instantaneous interruption, if the battery voltage level after recovery from the interruption is higher than the first voltage, the data in the second memory is cleared and the display means Displays a level according to the battery remaining level switching voltage table, and when the battery voltage level after recovery from instantaneous interruption is lower than the first voltage and lower than the second voltage, the second memory 6. The battery remaining level display according to claim 5, wherein the current consumption is continuously measured as it is and the current consumption is continuously measured, and the level immediately before the momentary interruption is displayed on the display means. Mobile phone with function Terminal. When the current amount measuring means determines that the battery detachment occurring during the measurement of the consumption current amount is not instantaneously interrupted, the data in the second memory is cleared, and the battery voltage level after the battery is reattached is A function of displaying a level in accordance with the remaining battery level switching voltage table on the display means when the voltage is higher than 1, and the battery voltage after battery remounting is lower than the first voltage and the second voltage Is higher than the battery level, the level immediately before the battery is removed is displayed on the display unit, and the current consumption measuring unit starts measuring the current consumption, and the total amount of the measured current consumption is equal to the predetermined threshold value. 7. The battery according to claim 6, wherein the battery has a function of switching the display of the battery level at a point of time when 50% is reached or the battery voltage becomes lower than the second voltage, whichever is earlier. Mobile communication terminal with the amount level display function. Charging the battery, and charging means for notifying the control means of charging start or end information, the control means, while the current amount measuring means is measuring the consumption current amount, When the charging start information for the battery is received, the current consumption amount data stored in the second memory is cleared and the display level is set to the maximum remaining battery level. When receiving information that has been completed in an incomplete state, it is determined whether or not the battery voltage is equal to or higher than the first voltage. If the battery voltage is higher than the first voltage, the battery level switching voltage is displayed on the display means. The function of displaying the level according to the table, and when lower than the first voltage and higher than the second voltage, the level immediately before the start of charging is displayed on the display means Measurement of current consumption by the current amount measuring means is started, and the measured total amount of current consumption reaches 50% of the predetermined threshold value or the battery voltage becomes less than the second voltage. 6. The mobile communication terminal with a battery remaining level display function according to claim 5, wherein the mobile communication terminal has a function of switching the display of the battery level at the earlier time point.

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