JPH09243719A - Method of displaying residual capacity of battery, and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the state of display from being changed between in load time and in no-load time. SOLUTION: This device compares the power source voltage of a battery in the actually used state where it is connected to a load such as motor with a standard value of a comparing means 20, and lights LED 1-4 on the basis of a binary signal appearing on the terminals A-D to display the residual capacity. This device has a load monitor part 3 for monitoring the operating state of the load, and the comparison judgment condition with the standard value is changed according to the operating state of the load, so that the display of the residual capacity is not changed between in load time and in no-load time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery remaining capacity display technique, and more particularly, to a battery remaining capacity display method and device in a use state in which a load such as a motor is repeatedly operated and stopped. It is a thing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a floor cleaning robot that cleans the floor of a building is self-propelled by a motor that uses a battery as a power source. In this type of floor cleaning robot, an indicator as shown in FIG. 3 is provided on the operation panel as a standard for determining how long the operation is possible.

This indicator is, for example, four LEDs
(LEDs) are provided, and the LEDs are alternately turned on, for example, as follows according to the remaining voltage of the battery. When the voltage is 24.3V or more, the LED 1 on the left end
Lights up, LED2 lights up in the range of 23.5 to 24.2V, LED3 lights up in the range of 21.3 to 23.4V,
When it is less than 21.3, the LED 4 at the right end as a charge required display is turned on.

[0004]

However, as shown in the graph of FIG. 4, the voltage of the battery during operation (load: see the alternate long and short dash line) and at rest (no load: see the solid line). Since the values are different, when the operation is started, the display position of the LED is lowered, and when it is stopped, the display position is raised again, which gives the user a feeling of distrust.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a conventional problem, and an object thereof is to display a state of charge of a battery in which a display state does not change between a loaded state and a non-loaded state. A method and an apparatus therefor are provided.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 compares a power supply voltage of a battery in a state of actual use connected to a load such as a motor with a reference value to determine a predetermined value. In the method for displaying the remaining capacity of the battery that displays the remaining capacity on the display section, the condition for comparison with the reference value is changed according to the operating state of the load, and the remaining capacity The feature is that the display is not changed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the battery is connected to a load such as a motor and the power supply voltage of the battery in actual use is compared with a reference value to display the remaining capacity on a predetermined display section. In the remaining capacity display method of
The power supply voltage of the battery is given to a plurality of comparators each having a different reference value, the combination state of the binary signals output from each of the comparators is compared with a preset determination condition, and the battery of the battery is displayed on the display unit. In displaying the remaining capacity, different comparison determination conditions are applied depending on the operating state of the load, and the display of the remaining capacity is not changed between the loaded state and the unloaded state.

On the other hand, in the invention of claim 3, the comparison means having a plurality of reference values is provided, and the power supply voltage of the battery connected to a load such as a motor in an actual use state is compared with the respective reference values. In a battery remaining capacity display device that displays the remaining capacity on a predetermined display unit,
A plurality of comparators as the comparison means, to which the power supply voltage of the battery is commonly applied to one input terminal, and different reference values are given to the other input terminal,
A load monitoring unit that monitors the operating state of the load, and a control unit that controls the display of the display unit by comparing the binary signal output from each comparator with a preset determination condition. , The control means obtains the load operation information from the load monitoring means and changes the determination condition,
It is characterized in that the display of the remaining capacity is not changed between the loaded state and the unloaded state.

In this case, as described in claim 4, voltage dividing resistors having different resistance values for dividing the same reference voltage in a predetermined manner are connected to the other input terminal of each of the comparators. It is preferable that the voltage dividing resistors give different reference values to the respective comparators.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, with a better understanding of the technical idea of the present invention, an embodiment thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the indicator itself is the same as that shown in FIG. 3 described above.

FIG. 1 shows an example of this battery remaining capacity display device. According to this, the display device is a CPU that controls lighting of the LEDs 1 to 4 of the indicator.
A (central processing unit) 10, a comparison means 20 having a plurality of reference values and comparing each of them with the power supply voltage of the battery, and a load monitoring unit 30 for monitoring the operating state of a motor as a load, for example. I have it.

The CPU 10 outputs the output state of the comparison means 20,
Also, the lighting of the LEDs 1 to 4 of the indicator is controlled in the following manner, for example, in accordance with the operating state and the stopped state of the load supplied from the load monitoring unit 30. LED2 is turned on when the voltage is 24.3V or higher when stopped and 23.5V or higher when operated. 23.5-24.2V when stopped, 22.8-2 when operating
LED2 lights up at 3.4V. 22.5 to 23.4 V when stopped, 21.3 to 2 when operating
LED3 lights up at 2.7V. When it is less than 22.5V when stopped and less than 21.3V when operating, LED4 is turned on.

The comparison means 20 comprises four comparators 201.
To 204, the power supply voltage (+ side) of the battery is applied to each-input terminal. In this case, a resistance RA of 17.8 kΩ is connected to the battery power supply side as a voltage dividing resistance, and a resistance R of 2.2 kΩ is connected to the ground side.
B is connected, and therefore, assuming that the power supply voltage of the battery is V, a voltage of V × 2.2 / 20 is applied to the-input terminals of the comparators 201 to 204. Be VR.

On the other hand, the comparators 201 to 2
A reference voltage obtained by dividing the reference power supply voltage Vref (5 V in this example) by the voltage dividing resistors R1 to R5 is input to the + input terminal of 04. The actual resistance value of each of the voltage dividing resistors R1 to R5 is shown in FIG.
Assuming T, the reference voltage V1 of the comparator 201 is (R
2 + R3 + R4 + R5) / RT, the reference voltage V2 of the comparator 202 is (R3 + R4 + R5) / RT, the reference voltage V3 of the comparator 203 is (R4 + R5) / RT, and the reference voltage V4 of the comparator 204 is R5 / RT.

Further, inverters IV1 to IV4 are connected to the output sides of the comparators 201 to 204, respectively, and their inverting output terminals are labeled A to D, respectively. Therefore, when VR> V1, the outputs of the comparators 201 to 204 are L, but they are inverted by the inverters IV1 to IV4 and the terminals A to D become (H, H, H, H).

Next, the battery voltage V decreases and V1> V
When R> V2, the output of the comparator 201 becomes Hi, so that the terminal A changes to Low and the terminals B to D are Hi and the terminals A to D are (L, H, H, H). V2>VR> V
When the value becomes 3, the output of the comparator 202 subsequently becomes Hi, the terminal B turns to L, and the terminals C and D maintain H, so that the terminals A to D become (L, L, H, H).

Further, when V3>VR> V4, the output of the comparator 203 becomes Hi this time, the terminal C shifts to L, and only the terminal D maintains H. Therefore, the terminals A to D are (L, L, L, H). And finally V4> V
When it becomes R, the output of the comparator 204 also becomes Hi, so that the terminal D also shifts to L, and all the terminals A to D (L, L,
L, L).

As described above, since the binary signals (H, L) of the terminals A to D of the comparing means 20 change as the power supply voltage V of the battery decreases, the CPU 10 has the terminals A to D.
While controlling the LEDs 1 to 4 of the indicator by comparing the output signal of D with the preset judgment condition,
At this time, in the present invention, the determination condition is changed according to the operating state of the load supplied from the load monitoring unit 30.

When the load is a motor, the load monitoring unit 30 includes a current sensor for detecting the drive current supplied to the motor, and detects whether the drive current is the operating state or the stopped state depending on the presence or absence of the drive current. I am trying.

In the flowchart of FIG. 2, it is first determined in step ST1 whether the vehicle is stopped. If stopped,
In step ST21, it is determined whether all the terminals (ports) A to D are H, and if YES, the LED 1 is turned on. N
When it is O, the terminals B to D are H in the next step ST22.
If it is YES, the LED 2 is turned on.
In the case of NO, it is determined in the next step ST23 whether the terminals C and D are H, and if YES, the LED 3 is turned on. In the case of NO, the LED 4 urging the charging required is turned on.

On the other hand, if NO in step ST1, that is, if it is determined that the vehicle is operating, step ST31
Then, it is determined whether all the terminals B to D are H. YE
If S, the LED 1 is turned on. In the case of NO, it is determined in the next step ST32 whether the terminals C and D are H, and Y
If it is ES, LED2 is turned on. In the case of NO, it is determined whether the terminal D is H in step ST33 of the next stage, and YE
If S, the LED 3 is turned on. In the case of NO, the LED 4 urging the charging required is turned on.

As described above, the judgment condition is changed between the stop condition and the operation condition. In this embodiment, the judgment condition is shifted by one step so that the temporary voltage drop caused by the start of the operation is not affected. The LED display can be made stable.

In the above embodiment, four LEDs are arranged in the indicator and they are turned on alternately according to the remaining capacity of the battery. However, LCD (liquid crystal display element) is used.
Alternatively, a bar graph display or a digital numerical display may be adopted. Further, the drive motor of the floor cleaning robot is taken as an example of the load of the battery, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is applicable to all electric (electronic) devices having a load that operates using a battery as a power source. is there.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When displaying the remaining capacity of the battery connected to a load such as a motor during actual use, a load monitoring unit is provided in addition to the voltage comparison means to determine the load status, that is, whether the load is loaded or unloaded. By making the conditions different, it is possible to make the display of the remaining capacity stable without being affected by the temporary voltage drop that occurs with the start of operation from the stopped state, and it is unnecessary for the user. It is possible to accurately display the remaining capacity of the battery without giving a sense of distrust.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of a battery remaining capacity display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an indicator unit for displaying a battery remaining capacity used in a floor cleaning robot or the like.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing changes in voltage when the battery with a motor as a load is operating and when the battery is stopped.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 LED 20 Comparing means 201-204 Comparator 30 Load monitoring unit RA, RB, R1-R5 Voltage dividing resistors IV1-IV4 Inverter

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A method for displaying a remaining capacity of a battery, which compares a power supply voltage of a battery connected to a load such as a motor in an actual use state with a reference value and displays the remaining capacity on a predetermined display unit, A method for displaying a remaining capacity of a battery, characterized in that the condition for comparison with the reference value is changed according to the operating state of the load so that the display of the remaining capacity is not changed between the time of load and the time of no load. . 2. A battery remaining capacity display method for comparing a power supply voltage of a battery connected to a load such as a motor in a state of actual use with a reference value and displaying the remaining capacity on a predetermined display unit, The power supply voltage of the battery is given to a plurality of comparators each having a different reference value, the combination state of the binary signals output from each of the comparators is compared with a preset determination condition, and the battery of the battery is displayed on the display unit. In displaying the remaining capacity, different comparison judgment conditions are applied depending on the operating state of the load, and the remaining capacity display is not changed between with load and without load. Capacity display method. 3. Comparing means having a plurality of reference values,
In the battery remaining capacity display device that displays the remaining capacity on a predetermined display unit by comparing the power supply voltage of the battery connected to a load such as a motor in actual use with each of the reference values, A power supply voltage of the battery is commonly applied to the terminals, and a plurality of comparators as the comparison means, to which different reference values are given to the other input terminals, and load monitoring means for monitoring the operating state of the load, The control means compares the binary signal output from each of the comparators with a preset judgment condition to control the display of the display section, and the control means controls the load operation from the load monitoring means. Remaining capacity of the battery characterized by changing the above judgment conditions after obtaining information so that the display of the remaining capacity does not change between loaded and unloaded Display devices. 4. The other input terminal of each of the comparators is connected with a voltage dividing resistor having a different resistance value for dividing the same reference voltage in a predetermined manner, and these voltage dividing resistors are connected to each of the comparators. 4. The battery remaining capacity display device according to claim 3, wherein different reference values are given to each of them.