JPH02142324A - Residual capacity indicator for battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To know residual capacity of battery easily by turning a power switch ON and producing a signal corresponding to the difference between the residual voltage of the battery and a reference voltage for a short time then lapping the signal over the output from an oscillator and sounding a speaker thereafter counting the number of sounding times. CONSTITUTION:A power switch 2 is turned ON to connect a source battery 1 with a machine 7, then a residual voltage V is fed to a residual capacity judging section 3. The residual voltage V is compared with the reference voltage VR of a reference power source 3A to produce a signal SO which is then processed, and if it is higher than a critical voltage VC stored at a processing section 3C a signal S1 is outputted for a short time. A gate 5 performs logical calculation 5A on an output signal S2 fed from an oscillator 4 and the signal S1 thus forming a signal S3 for producing a battery residual capacity confirming sound. No signal sound is produced if the voltage V<VR, but short sounds are repeated to alarm extinction of the battery if VC>V>VR, and a short sound is produced only one time if V>VC. By such arrangement, residual capacity of battery can be determined easily and the device can be preferably employed in an electrocardiographic telemeter or a Holter electrocardiograph.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is a battery remaining amount display device, particularly applicable to a battery remaining amount display device, which is applicable to a medical device using a battery as a power source, such as an electrocardiogram telemeter or a Holter electrocardiograph. Related to display devices.

[Conventional technology]

(1) Background of the Invention In medical equipment such as an electrocardiogram telemeter that uses a battery as a power source, the battery may run out during operation and the equipment may become inoperable.

In that case, data will no longer be input to the device, and for example, an electrocardiogram will no longer be guided by an electrocardiogram telemeter, resulting in the disadvantage that the previous operations will be wasted.

Furthermore, if the battery runs out while using the Holta electrocardiograph (portable long-term recording device), the following problems will occur.

That is, when a stress electrocardiogram is being recorded, the subject must exercise again in order to input data, which places a heavy burden on the subject and makes it difficult to record an effective electrocardiogram thereafter.

Furthermore, when recording a 24-hour electrocardiogram, the subject must again wear the Holta electrocardiograph on his or her body for 24 hours, which is inconvenient.

In order to prevent such a situation, it is necessary to attach a remaining battery power display device to such medical equipment to inform the user of the remaining battery power.

(2) Conventional Example Conventional battery level display devices have used LEDs and meters.

That is, in the case of a device using an LED, for example, if the battery is 1°5cm, the current value is 1.5cm. If it is Ov, it is rl, o/1゜5.”
It was displayed as follows.

Further, in the case where a meter is used, in the above example, the needle of the meter indicates the 1.0 square mark of the current starting force.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, the battery remaining amount display was solely for the user's visual sense.

In other words, the user must always pay close attention to the LED display and meter display, and even if he or she is careful, if the battery dies during operation, the user must stop the operation. As a result, data must be blocked and the burden on subjects remains unavoidable.

In particular, if the user is not paying enough attention to the display and meter, he or she may turn on the switch and start using it without checking the remaining battery level, which may cause the battery to run out midway through operation. There were many.

That is, in the conventional example, firstly, there is a problem in that it is not possible to sufficiently determine how much battery power is left when starting to use the device.

Second, since LED displays and meter displays continue to consume power from the start to the end of operation, there is a problem in that they consume a large amount of power by themselves.

The purpose of the present invention is to check the battery for a short time when the device is first used, at the same time as the power switch is turned on, and to display the information to the operator using a buzzer or the like, so that the user can be informed of the remaining battery level in the most careful manner. The purpose of the present invention is to sufficiently arouse the user's attention when starting to use the device, which is at a time when the user's energy levels are increasing, and to also reduce power consumption by the display device itself.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above problem involves inputting the remaining voltage V of the power supply battery 1 connected to the power switch 2 when the power switch 2 is turned on, and generating a battery remaining amount signal S1 with a short duration corresponding to the difference between the reference voltage and the a battery remaining amount determination unit 3 that outputs a battery remaining amount signal S1 and a basic signal S of a predetermined frequency from an oscillator 4.
2 and outputs a sound signal S3 consisting of a basic signal S2 that continues for the duration of the remaining battery level signal S1; Battery level confirmation sound generating unit 6 that outputs S4
The problem is solved by a battery remaining amount display device characterized by comprising:

[For production]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the power switch 2 is turned on, the residual voltage (■) of the power supply battery 1 connected to the power switch 2 is manually calculated, and the short duration corresponding to the difference between the reference voltage (■) and A battery remaining amount judgment unit 3 outputs a battery remaining amount signal 31 of time, and a battery remaining amount signal S1 and a basic signal S2 of a predetermined frequency from an oscillator 4 are inputted, and a battery remaining amount signal S1 is inputted.
a gate circuit 5 that outputs a sounding signal S3 consisting of a basic signal S2 that continues for a duration of , and a battery level confirmation sound generating section 6 that inputs the sounding signal S3 and outputs a battery level confirmation sound S4 proportional to the sounding signal S3. Provided is a battery remaining amount display device comprising:

Therefore, when the power switch 2 is turned on, a short-time battery level signal S1 corresponding to the remaining battery level becomes a trigger signal, and a sounding signal S3 of a predetermined frequency is output.
3, a short battery level confirmation sound S4 that indicates the presence or absence of the remaining battery level and its level is now emitted.

Therefore, it is now possible to sufficiently alert the user of the device to the remaining battery level at the time of turning on the power switch 2, when the user starts using the device, when the user's attention is at its highest.

Further, the duration of the remaining battery level signal S1, which is the trigger signal, and the subsequent sound generation signal S3 and remaining battery level confirmation sound S4 are as follows:
Both are short.

Therefore, the power consumption by the display device itself has become extremely small.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(1) Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a power source battery, 2 is a power switch, 3 is a remaining battery level determining section, 4 is an oscillator, 5 is a gate circuit, 6 is a remaining battery level confirmation sound generating section, and 7 is a device.

The power source battery 1 is a dry battery, a mercury battery, or the like, and the power switch 2 is in charge of connecting and disconnecting the power source battery 1 to the device 7.

The remaining battery level judgment unit 3 inputs the remaining voltage V of the power supply battery 1 connected to the power switch 2 when the power switch 2 is turned on, and calculates a short duration corresponding to the difference from the reference voltage 8. It is a device that outputs a battery remaining amount signal S1, and is composed of, for example, a comparator 3B and a processing section 3C.

The comparator 3B is a device that inputs the residual voltage (1) and the reference voltage (2) from the battery 3A and outputs a comparison signal SO.

The processing unit 3C manually calculates the residual voltage V by using the comparison signal SO.
This is a device that determines the difference between the voltage and the reference voltage vR and outputs a short-term battery remaining amount signal S1, and is composed of, for example, a CPU.

The oscillator 4 is a device that outputs a fundamental signal S2 of a predetermined frequency, and is composed of, for example, a crystal oscillator.

The gate circuit 5 is a device that inputs the remaining battery level signal S1 and the basic signal S2 of a predetermined frequency from the oscillator 4, and outputs a sounding signal S3 consisting of the basic signal S2 that continues for the duration of the remaining battery level signal S1. For example, and gate 5
Consists of A.

The remaining battery level confirmation sound generating unit 6 is a device that inputs the sound signal S3 and outputs a remaining battery level confirmation sound S4 proportional to the sound signal S3, and is composed of, for example, a piezoelectric buzzer 6A.

The device 7 is a device using the battery 1 as a power source, and is, for example, a medical device such as an electrocardiogram telemeter or a Holter electrocardiograph.

(2) Operation Below, the operation of the present invention having the above configuration will be explained as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
This will be explained based on the diagram.

In step P1 (FIG. 3), when the power switch 2 is turned on, power from the power source battery 1 is supplied to the device 7, and at the same time, the comparator 3B of the battery remaining amount determining section 3 is
The remaining voltage ■ of the power supply battery 1 is input.

The comparator 3B compares this remaining voltage V with the reference voltage vll from the battery 3A, and in step P2, it is determined whether there is a remaining battery charge.

(2)-A: When the battery has remaining capacity and its residual voltage VR is greater than the critical voltage VR (Fig. 2 (A)) Fig. 2 (A)
) is a characteristic diagram of the comparator 3B.

In the same graph, the vertical axis represents the residual voltage V, and the horizontal axis represents the time t.
are shown respectively.

The value of the residual voltage V of the power supply battery I input to the comparator 3B is vl, which is larger than the reference voltage v,l and larger than the critical voltage Vc.

Here, the critical voltage vc is the residual voltage v1 and the reference voltage vl
This is an index representing the degree of the difference E, and is stored in advance by the processing unit 3C.

That is, if the residual voltage VR is higher than the critical voltage VR, the remaining battery power is large, and if it is lower than the critical voltage Vc, the remaining battery power is small, and there is a risk that the battery will run out during operation.

Since the residual voltage in this case is vl, which is larger than the reference voltage VR, the comparator 3B outputs a comparison signal SO of ``rl''.
((1) in FIG. 2(A), judgment result ■ in FIG. 3).

The processing unit 3C that has received this comparison signal SO recognizes that the above-mentioned v1 is larger than the critical voltage VR, and outputs a battery remaining amount signal S1 consisting of one pulse wave (see FIG. 2(A)).
(2)).

The gate circuit 5 receives this Sl and the basic signal S2 (FIG. 2 (A) (3)) from the oscillator °4, and
A performs logical operations.

As a result, a single pulse wave sounding signal S3, which is the AND of the above S1 and 32, is output ((4) in FIG. 2(A)).

The remaining battery level confirmation sound generating section 6 receives the sounding signal S3, and uses the piezoelectric buzzer 6A to detect, for example, one pulse wave remaining in the battery ti1!, which is proportional to the sounding signal S3! The recognition sound S4 is output (FIG. 2 (A) (5)).

As a result, the user of the device 7 hears a "beep" buzzer sound, and can know that there is still sufficient battery power remaining when the user is attentive at the beginning of use.

The above is the operation of the determination result (2) in steps P3 and P4 (FIG. 3). The above is the conclusion of step P3 and step P4 (2)-B:
This is the operation when the remaining battery voltage V is smaller than the critical voltage VC (Fig. 2 (B)).
(2)-C: When the battery is empty (Fig. 2 (
C)) The comparison signal SO output by the comparator 3B is (
2) - Similar to A, it is "1" (Figure 2 (B) (1
)L In this case, since the residual voltage 1 is smaller than the critical voltage VR, the processing unit 3C that has received the comparison signal SO generates a battery remaining amount signal with a duration T1 longer than the previous duration TI of 31. Sl is output (Figure 2 (B) (2)).

Therefore, the gate circuit 5 outputs a sound signal S3 made up of three pulse waves, and the remaining battery level confirmation sound generator 6 that receives this also emits a remaining battery capacity confirmation sound S4 made up of three pulse waves ( Figure 2 (B) (5)).

As a result, the user of device 7 will hear a "beep, beep, beep" buzzer sound, indicating that the battery level is already low when the user is attentive at the beginning of use. .

In this case, the comparator 3B outputs the residual voltage V.

is smaller than the reference voltage v8, and the output comparison signal SO is rQJ (Fig. 2 (C) (1)), and accordingly, the remaining battery level signal S1 output by the processing unit 3C is also “ 0'' (Figure 2 (C) (2)).

Therefore, even if the fundamental signal S2 of a predetermined frequency is sent from the oscillator 4,
Even if input to the gate circuit 5 (Fig. 2 (C) (3))
, the sound generation signal S3 outputted by the gate circuit 5 is "rO" (FIG. 2 (C) (4)). Therefore, the remaining battery level confirmation sound S4 outputted by the remaining battery level confirmation sound generation section 6 is also "0". ” (
Figure 2 (C) (5)).

As a result, the user of the device 7 does not hear any buzzer sound and knows that the battery level is already exhausted when the user is attentive at the beginning of use.
This is the judgment result (■) and the operation of step P5 (FIG. 3).

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but can also divide the remaining battery level into stages and output sound patterns according to the divisions to call attention to the battery level, and when the power switch is turned on. It is also possible to improve the accuracy of remaining amount comparison by connecting to a constant current source for a certain period of time and then switching the connection to the device.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, when the power switch 2 is turned on, the residual voltage V of the power supply battery 1 connected to the power switch 2 is inputted, and the residual voltage V of the power supply battery 1 connected to the power switch 2 is inputted and A remaining battery amount determination unit 3 outputs a remaining battery amount signal S1 with a short duration corresponding to the difference, and inputs the remaining battery amount signal St and the basic signal S2 of a predetermined frequency from the oscillator 4, and outputs a remaining battery amount signal S1. A sound signal S consisting of a basic signal S2 that lasts for the duration of
3, and a battery level confirmation sound generator 6 which inputs the sound signal S3 and outputs a remaining battery level confirmation sound S4 proportional to the sound generation signal S3. Ta.

Therefore, when the power switch 2 is turned on, a short-time battery level signal S1 corresponding to the remaining battery level becomes a trigger signal, and a sounding signal S3 of a predetermined frequency is output.
3, a short battery level confirmation sound S4 that indicates the presence or absence of the remaining battery level and its level is now emitted.

This has the technical effect of sufficiently alerting the device user to the remaining battery level at the time of turning on the power switch 2 and starting to use the device, when the user's attention is at its highest. It became a thing.

Furthermore, the duration of the remaining battery level signal S1, which is a trigger signal, and the subsequent sound generation signal S3 and remaining battery level confirmation sound S4 are all short.

Therefore, a technical effect has been achieved in that the power consumption by the display device itself is extremely reduced.

Furthermore, since the type of battery level confirmation sound S4 is changed depending on the level of battery level, the user can take appropriate measures such as replacing the battery, and the user can also check the level of battery level at the beginning of use. Since the extent of the damage is known, it is possible to prevent operation interruptions in the middle, and the piezoelectric buzzer 6 can be used to replace the remaining battery level confirmation sound generator 6.
If configured with A, power consumption can be further reduced,
Adding pitch and tone to the remaining battery level confirmation sound S4 has the additional effect of improving versatility.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart according to the present invention. 1. Power supply battery, 2. Power switch, 3.・・Battery remaining amount determination unit, 4...Oscillator 4 Gate circuit, Battery remaining amount confirmation sound generation portion, Remaining voltage, ・Reference voltage, ・Battery remaining amount signal, ・Basic signal, ・Sounding signal, ・Battery remaining amount Confirmation sound, patent agent Fukuda Denshi Co., Ltd. agent
Patent Attorney Akira Saito TA) Old) (C) Diagram #42 for explaining the operation of the present invention Figure 3 Flowchart according to the present invention

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) When the power switch 2 is turned on, the remaining voltage V of the power supply battery 1 connected to the power switch 2 is input, and the remaining battery level signal S1 with a short duration corresponding to the difference from the reference voltage V_R is generated. A sounding signal S3 is generated by inputting the remaining battery level signal S1 and the basic signal S2 of a predetermined frequency from the oscillator 4 to the remaining battery level determining unit 3 to output, and the basic signal S2 continuing for the duration of the remaining battery level signal S1. A gate circuit 5 that outputs the sound signal S3, and a battery remaining capacity confirmation sound generator 6 that receives the sound signal S3 and outputs a battery level confirmation sound S4 proportional to the sound signal S3. Display device. (2) The remaining battery power determining unit 3 inputs the remaining voltage V and the reference voltage V_R, compares them, and if the remaining voltage is greater than the reference voltage V_R,
A comparator 3B that outputs a comparison signal S0 that is "1" and "0" if the residual voltage V is smaller than the reference voltage V_R.
The above comparison signal S0 is input, and when the comparison signal S0 is "1", the remaining battery level signal S1 which is "1" is inputted to the comparison signal S0.
2. The battery remaining amount display device according to claim 1, further comprising a processing section 3C which outputs a remaining battery amount signal S1 which is "0" when the remaining battery amount signal S1 is "0". (3) When the processing unit 3C inputs the comparison signal S0 and it is "1", if the residual voltage V is greater than the critical voltage V_C representing the degree of difference from the reference voltage V_R, it is 1.
The remaining battery level signal S1 consisting of two pulse waves is converted to the remaining voltage V
2. The battery remaining amount display device according to claim 1, which outputs a remaining battery amount signal S1 consisting of two or more pulse waves when the threshold voltage V_C is smaller than the critical voltage V_C. (4) The battery remaining amount display device according to claim 1, wherein the gate circuit 5 is constituted by an AND gate 5A. (5) The battery level confirmation sound generating section 6 is a piezoelectric buzzer 6A.
A battery remaining amount display device according to claim 1, comprising: