JPH10187299A - Battery control device and method, information processor and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To offer the accurate information on plural batteries to a user by switching optionally these batteries under use and acquiring the information on the switched batteries in their real load states. SOLUTION: A power control circuit 19 contains a detection circuit to detect the operation of a power switch 22, controls the DCDCON/OFF signal, i.e., a power control signal based on the state of a power supply part 25 or the suspension signal, etc., received from a system, and turns on and off a DCDC converter 18. A battery switching circuit 16 turns on and off the power output of batteries 6 and 7, and the power supply is controlled via the low voltage detection, etc., in a battery drive mode by performing the communication of data with both batteries 6 and 7. Even when the power supply is turned off, the circuit 19 receives supply of the drive power from an AC adaptor 13 and the batteries 6 and 7. Thus, the information on both batteries 6 and 7 can be acquired in the same load condition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery control device for controlling a plurality of batteries, an information processing device driven by a plurality of batteries, an electronic device driven by a rechargeable battery, and a battery realized by using these devices. It relates to a control method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional portable information device, in particular, a notebook type personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) supporting two power supplies of an AC adapter and a battery,
When a PC is used in a place where there is no AC power supply, a power supply method using a battery is adopted.

However, in recent years, the power consumption has increased due to the increase in speed and multifunctionality of PCs, and it has become difficult to use the power supply system with a single battery for a long time. In recent years, a method has been adopted in which a functional unit that is used less frequently is made detachable so that a second battery can be mounted.

On the other hand, rechargeable battery-operated electronic devices have been used mainly in the financial and distribution industries for tasks such as data entry and slip issuance outdoors or away from offices. In such work, the user usually carries the work from the start to the end of the work, connects the charging device to the device at the office or the like at the end of the work, and charges and operates the battery until the start of the work the next day. The operation time of the device by the fully charged battery enables one day or more of ordinary work due to the power-saving design of the device and the application program.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing an example of a voltage value change for each elapsed time of the battery. In the figure, reference numeral 501 denotes a curve showing a change in the voltage value of the normal battery for each elapsed time.
Numeral 02 is a curve showing a voltage value change for each elapsed time of the battery that has caused the memory effect. Here, the memory effect is a phenomenon that occurs by repeating shallow charge and discharge.
A step occurs in the middle of the discharge curve.

Further, V1 is a voltage value when the battery is fully charged, and V2 is a voltage value when the device is in a low battery state.
The low battery state means that if the battery voltage of the device becomes lower than this, normal operation cannot be continued. Therefore, the application program and peripheral devices are notified to immediately perform termination processing, and after the processing is completed, the device is turned off. It shifts to the state of.

Further, in the figure, T1 is a time required for a normal battery to decrease to a low battery state voltage value in a normal operation, and T2 is a time required for a battery having a memory effect to reach a low battery state voltage value in a normal operation. The time it takes to fall.

[0008]

However, in the case of controlling a plurality of batteries of a conventional portable information device, in particular, the above-mentioned PC, the battery is driven by one battery and the other is a non-loaded battery. (For example, a voltage value), the following disadvantages have been encountered.

[0009] That is, in a conventional PC to which a plurality of batteries can be mounted, the main focus is only on extending the use time, and control is mainly performed to obtain information on each battery under the same conditions. Not done. In the case of controlling a plurality of batteries, a method of using each battery at the same time is usually adopted instead of a method of using each battery at the same time. At this time, while the device is being driven by the selected battery, the status of the unused battery is also obtained, so that communication is performed in a no-load state to obtain information. The information thus obtained for each battery is obtained under different use conditions.

According to this control method, since the information to be used next is when the battery to be used is not loaded, when driving a device having a built-in printer or a device having a large load such as a large LCD, a large load is generated by switching the battery. , A large voltage drop may occur, which may cause malfunction of the device. In particular, when the battery is in a low voltage region where the battery voltage drops sharply, such a situation is highly likely to occur.

The above-described rechargeable battery-operated electronic device has the following disadvantages.

(1) Repetition of shallow charging / discharging in a state where the battery is not empty causes a memory effect and lowers battery performance.

(2) The maintenance and management load on the battery is imposed on the system administrator and the operator, which deteriorates the operation efficiency of the system.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described conventional problems, and has as its object to provide a battery control device and a battery control method that can provide a user with accurate information on a plurality of batteries. Another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus that can provide a safe use environment when driven by a battery. It is another object of the present invention to provide a rechargeable battery-operated electronic device that can prevent a decrease in battery performance, find a battery failure, and reduce the maintenance and operation load of the device.

[0015]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery control device for controlling a plurality of batteries capable of communicating information including a battery voltage or a remaining battery level, wherein the battery is used. Switching control means for arbitrarily switching the battery therein, and communication means for obtaining information in the actual load state of the battery switched according to the switching control means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus including an information processing unit which operates using a plurality of batteries as power supplies.
Switching control means for arbitrarily switching the battery during use, communication means for obtaining information on the actual load state of the battery switched in accordance with the switching control means, and information obtained by the communication means. Battery control means for controlling the battery.

According to a third aspect, in the second aspect,
A display means for displaying information obtained by the communication means is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in an electronic device driven by a rechargeable battery, a battery power control means for controlling the battery power of the device and battery charging, and a battery remaining amount detecting device for detecting the remaining battery amount of the battery Means, battery charging time measuring means for measuring the charging time of the battery, battery information storage means for storing battery information including a detection result of the battery remaining amount detecting means and a measurement result of the battery charging time measuring means, Battery information analyzing means for analyzing the state of the battery based on the contents stored in the battery information storing means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery control method for controlling a plurality of batteries capable of communicating information including a battery voltage or a battery remaining amount, wherein the switching control processing for arbitrarily switching the battery while the battery is in use; And a communication process for obtaining information on the actual load state of the battery switched according to the process.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a switching control process for arbitrarily switching during use of the battery and an information processing device having an information processing unit operating using a plurality of batteries as a power source, and switching according to the switching control process. A communication process for obtaining information in the actual load state of the battery and a battery control process for controlling the plurality of batteries are performed based on the information obtained by the communication process.

According to a seventh aspect, in the sixth aspect,
A display process for displaying information obtained by the communication process is performed.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery power control process for controlling battery power and battery charging of an electronic device driven by a rechargeable battery, and a battery remaining amount detecting the battery remaining amount of the battery. Detection processing;
A battery charging time measuring process for measuring a charging time of the battery; a battery information storing process for storing battery information including a detection result of the battery remaining amount detecting process and a measuring result of the battery charging time measuring process; A battery information analysis process for analyzing the state of the battery is performed based on the storage content of the storage process.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a power supply system of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a portable personal computer (hereinafter, abbreviated as “portable PC”) as the information processing apparatus of the present embodiment.

First, in FIG. 2, this portable PC comprises an apparatus main body 1 and an upper cover 3 having a display unit 8. The upper cover 3 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 by a hinge 9. Thus, when used, the upper cover 3 can be opened to a position where the display unit 8 is easy to see, and when not in use, it can be closed to function as a cover.

A liquid crystal display element is applied to the display unit 8, for example. Thus, the thickness of the display unit 8 can be reduced. The apparatus main body 2 includes a keyboard 4 at the front upper surface, a power switch 22 for turning on / off the power of the apparatus main body 2 at the rear of the upper surface, and a display unit 10 for displaying the remaining battery level. A battery slot 11 is provided, and a second battery slot 1
2 is provided.

The batteries 6 and 7 are rechargeable secondary batteries (hereinafter referred to as “batteries”) typified by nickel-cadmium batteries for driving the apparatus body 2. These batteries 6 and 7 can be installed in both the first and second battery slots 11 and 12. Hereinafter, the battery installed in the battery slot 11 is referred to as a “first battery”, and the battery installed in the battery slot 12 is referred to as a “second battery”.

Referring to FIG. 1, this portable PC has a power supply unit 25, a power supply control unit 26, and a PC logic unit 21 for performing main control. The power supply unit 25 includes an AC adapter 13 that is an external power supply device, the first and second battery slots 11 and 12, a charging circuit 15 that charges the batteries 6 and 7, and two batteries 6 and 7. A rectifier diode 23,
24.

The rectifier diodes 23 and 24 restrict the current of the AC adapter 13 from flowing back to each battery, and at the same time, apply the combined voltage of the batteries 6 and 7 having different voltages to the system power supply circuit 18 (hereinafter referred to as “DCDC converter”). "). The power control unit 26 includes the power control circuit 19 and the DCDC converter 1.
8 and the power switch 22 and the power IC 20.

The power supply control circuit 19 includes a detection circuit for detecting the operation of the power supply switch 22. The power supply control circuit 19 controls a DCDCON / OFF signal as a power supply control signal in accordance with the state of the power supply unit 25 or a suspend signal from the system.
The C converter 18 is turned on and off. Also,
By performing data communication with the batteries 6 and 7, power control is performed by detecting a low voltage when the battery is driven. Even when the power is off, the power control circuit 19 is supplied with power from the AC adapter 13 and the batteries 6 and 7 and supplies drive power to the power control circuit 19. This is a power source for switch detection or the like (hereinafter referred to as “5VSUB”).

The DC / DC converter 18 receives the power supply from the power supply unit 25 and receives the DC / DC power from the power supply control circuit 19.
It rises in response to the ON / OFF signal and generates 5 V and 3.3 V that are the main power supply of the PC logic unit 21.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the PC logic unit 21.

The PC logic unit 21 includes a central processing unit 30 (hereinafter, referred to as “CPU”) as setting means and control means for controlling the main control, and a read-only memory 31 (hereinafter, referred to as “CPU”) storing the basic control program. "BIO
S ”) and a system memory 43 (hereinafter“ RA ”) via a real-time clock (RTC) 32 and a refresh controller 37 on the bus of the CPU 30.
M ”) and an LCD controller (LCDC) 38
And a hard disk (HDD) 45 via a hard disk controller (HDC) 39.
, A floppy disk 46 via a floppy disk controller (FDC) 40, a DMA controller (DMAC) 33, and an interrupt controller (IRQ).
C) 34, the keyboard (KB) 4 via a KB controller (KBC) 41, and a timer (TIMER) 4
2 and a serial interface (SI
O) 35 and a host power management unit (host PM)
Unit) 36 and a display control unit 4 for controlling the display unit 10
8 are connected.

The CPU 30 reads an application program from the FDD 46 or the HDD 45 via the FDC 40 or the HDC 39, and executes the program using the RAM 43. At this time, as a screen display method, character characters and images are displayed on the LCD 8 by the LCDC 38, and a key input from the KB 4 is a KB input.
This is performed via C41.

The RTC 32 indicates the elapsed time at the present time, and is operated by a dedicated battery typified by the lithium battery 47 even when the power of the entire system is turned off. The RTC 32 has an area for storing the states of the batteries 6 and 7. RTC
Obviously, this area of 32 can be replaced by any other non-volatile memory. In addition, RTC32
Are provided with B1 and B2 battery activation permission bits. The meaning of each battery activation permission bit is as follows.

B1 = 1 It is possible to start from the battery installed in the battery slot 11. B1 = 0 It is impossible to start from the battery installed in the battery slot 11. B2 = 1 From the battery installed in the battery slot 12 B2 = 0 It is not possible to start from the battery installed in the battery slot 12. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the power supply control circuit 19.

The power control circuit 19 includes a clock generator 51 as an oscillation circuit, a power reset circuit 52,
It comprises a CPU interface 55 for signal communication with the C logic unit 21, a power switch detection circuit 50, a battery interface 53 for communicating with a battery, and a power control logic circuit 54.

The power supply control circuit 19 is supplied with 5 VSUB by the power supply IC 20 so that the power switch 22 can be detected even when the power is off. The oscillation circuit clock generator 51 supplies the generated clock to each control mechanism of each unit of the power supply control circuit. The CPU interface 55 is an interface for receiving a power control instruction from the CPU 30 and displaying information obtained through communication with the battery on the LCD 8 via the CPU 30.

The power supply control logic circuit 54 processes each signal for controlling the power supply. In response to the ON signal of the power supply switch 22 detected by the detection circuit 50, the power supply control logic circuit 54
DCDCON / OFF for activating CDC converter 18
It outputs a signal. This DCDCON / OFF
The DCDC converter 18 rises according to the signal, and P
Power is supplied to the C logic unit 21.

The power supply control logic circuit 54 monitors the state of the batteries 6 and 7 via the battery interface 53, and controls the batteries 6 and 7 based on an FET control signal BAT1 for completion of charging and detection of a low voltage. , BAT
2. Control each signal of CHG1 and CHG2. The BAT1 signal for selecting the first battery, the BAT2 signal for selecting the second battery, the CHG1 signal for charging the battery 1, and the CHG2 signal for charging the battery 2 are output from the batteries 6 of the battery switching circuit 16 and the charging circuit 15, Input 7
Control signal to select output, enabled when high,
Disable control is performed in a low state.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of the battery switching circuit 16.

The battery switching circuit 16 is an N-channel FET for turning on / off the power output of each of the batteries 6 and 7.
(Hereinafter referred to as FETs) 60 and 61 and buffers 64 and 65 which receive control signals BAT1 and BAT2 from the power supply control logic circuit 54 and drive the FETs 60 and 61, respectively. Diodes 23 and 24 are AC adapter 1
3 is a rectifier diode for preventing the power supply from flowing backward.

The battery switching circuit 16 turns on the FETs 60 and 61 in response to a battery selection signal of the BAT1 signal and the BAT2 signal output from the power supply control logic circuit 54 when the AC adapter 13 is not mounted. When the batteries 6 and 7 are inserted even when the power is off, the FETs 60 and 61
The FET is turned on by a resistor connected to the gate of 61. As a result, power is supplied to the power supply IC 20 that generates 5 VSUB even when the power is off.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of the charging circuit 15.

The charging circuit 15 includes the FETs 70 and 71 connected to the output side of the AC adapter 18 and the FETs 70 and 7
1 includes rectifying diodes 72 and 73 connected in series. The FET 70 supplies the output of the AC adapter 13 to the battery when charging the battery 6, and
Numeral 1 supplies the output of the AC adapter 13 to the battery 7 when charging the battery 7. When charging the battery 6, the power supply control logic circuit 54 makes the CHG 1 signal high, and turns on the FET 70 via the buffer 74. Also, at this time, the BAT1 signal is low,
FBT 60 is turned off. Thus, the battery 6 is charged from the AC adapter 13 via the FET 70.

Similarly, when charging the battery 7, the power supply control logic circuit 54 sets the CHG 2 signal to high and turns on the FET 71 via the buffer 75. At this time, the BAT2 signal is set to low, and the FET 61 is turned off. As a result, the FE
The battery 7 is charged via T71.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process XA for defining the state of the first battery mounted in the battery slot 11.

In step S1, the battery slot 11
A process of confirming the presence or absence of the battery (hereinafter, referred to as “first battery”) is performed. If it is determined that there is no first battery, the operation is switched to AC adapter driving in step S7. In step S2, 1 is set to bit B1. After the end of step S2, step S3 for determining whether the communication function of the mounted first battery functions normally is executed.

In step S3, it is determined whether or not normal data is returned from the battery with respect to the clock output from the power supply control circuit. If the communication is not performed normally, the communication is stopped in steps S5 and S6, and the bit B1
To 0 to prohibit startup from the first battery. If normal communication is being performed, it is determined in communication in step S4 whether or not the battery is of the battery type, and whether or not the battery is the designated battery. If the battery is the designated battery, process XA
Is terminated, and if the battery is not specified, step S
In bits 5 and 6, 0 is set in bit B1.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process XB for defining the state of the second battery mounted in the battery slot 12.

In step S11, the battery slot 1
A process for confirming the presence or absence of the second battery is performed. If it is determined that there is no battery, the operation is switched to AC adapter driving in step S17. In step S12, bit B2
Is set to 1. Thereby, starting from the first battery is permitted thereafter. After the end of step S12, step S13 for determining whether the communication function of the mounted first battery functions normally is executed.

In step S13, it is determined whether normal data is returned from the battery side with respect to the clock output from the power supply control circuit. If the communication is not performed normally, the communication is stopped by steps S15 and S16,
Bit B2 is set to 0 to prohibit starting from the first battery. If normal communication is being performed, step S1
In step 4, the type of battery is determined by communication, and it is determined whether the battery is a designated battery. If the battery is the specified battery, the process XB ends. If the battery is not specified, the bit B2 is set to 0 in steps S15 and S16.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a battery control process Y for switching a plurality of batteries. Note that the process Y includes steps S21 to S26.

In step S21, the state of the first battery is confirmed in the processing XA of FIG. 7, and the starting condition is set in the bit B1. In step S22, the processing XB of FIG.
Performs a state confirmation process of the second battery, and sets a start condition in bit B2.

When it is recognized in step S23 that the power switch 22 has been pressed, in branch step S24, the AC
If power is being supplied from the adapter 13, switching to AC adapter driving is performed in step S25. If it is determined in the branching step S24 that there is no AC adapter, the processes (1) to (4) are executed in the branching step S26 according to the state of the plurality of batteries mounted. In the branch step S26, the process branches to four processes (1) to (4) depending on the combination of the bits B1 and B2.

The branch conditions are as follows: (1) B1 = 1 and B2 = 1 → 1: first battery, second battery
Both batteries can be started. (2) B1 = 1 and B2 = 0 → 1: Only first battery can be started. (3) B1 = 0 and B2 = 1 → 1: Only second battery can be started. (4) B1 = 0 and B2 = 0 → 1: Unable to start from all batteries. Each of the branch processes (1) to (3) will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control process YA for switching the power supply from the first battery drive to the second battery drive. It should be noted that the process (1) is a process YA
Steps S31 to S39.

Step S31 is a process for supplying power from the first battery. In step S31, the BAT1 signal is set high from the power supply control logic circuit 54 to turn on the FET 60, thereby supplying power from the first battery.
In step S32, the processing S of FIG. 13 is performed. The process S of step S32 is a process of communicating with the first battery and the second battery and branching to step S33 or S38 according to an arbitrary condition. In step S38, the first
When the battery detects a voltage at which the drive power supply voltage is lower than the specified voltage (hereinafter referred to as a low battery), when the battery becomes an arbitrary low voltage, the process YC of the process (3) is performed in the second battery drive. This is the process of switching to driving. The process YC will be described with reference to FIG.

If it is determined in step S32 that the battery can be switched to the second battery, step S33 is executed to supply power from the second battery. Step S
33 turns on the BAT2 signal by the power supply control logic circuit 54 to turn on the FET 61, and starts power supply from the second battery. After the end of step S33, the BAT1 signal is set low to turn off the FET 60 in order to stop the power supply of the first battery used so far for driving. As a result, the power supply source is switched from the first battery to the second battery.

In step S35, communication with the second battery is performed, and the process proceeds to step S36 unless the second battery detects a low battery. Step S36, Step S3
7 is a process of switching to the second battery again. In step S36, the FET 60 is turned on to restart power supply from the first battery. A step S37 turns off the FET 61 in order to stop the power supply of the second battery.
Steps S32 to S37 are repeatedly executed when both batteries can be driven.

When the low voltage of the first battery is detected in step S32, the process branches to processing YC to switch to driving by the second battery. If the second battery has detected a low voltage in step S35, the process branches to process YB.
The operation is switched to the operation using only the second battery. Processing YB is shown in FIG.
1 will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a battery control process YB of the process (2) driven by only the first battery. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the battery control process YC of the process (3) of driving only with the second battery. Note that the process (2) shown in FIG. 11 includes steps S41 to S45 of the process YB.

In step S41, the BAT1 signal is set high from the power supply control circuit 19 to turn on the FET 60 in order to supply power from the first battery. Thus, the power supply from the first battery to the DCDC converter 18 is started.
Step S42 is a branching process for determining whether the FET 61 of the second battery is turned on. If the signal BAT2 for turning on the FET 61 is high, the BAT2 signal is turned low by the power supply control circuit 19 to turn off the FET 61 in step S43. This stops the power supply from the second battery.

Step S44 is a branching process for communicating with the first battery and determining whether the battery is a low battery.
In this process, communication with the first battery is continued until a low battery is detected. If a low battery is detected in step S44, the power supply control circuit 19 sends a BAT signal in step S45 to stop driving the first battery.
1 signal is made low, and the FET 60 is turned off. Thereby, the power supply of the first battery is stopped.

The process (3) shown in FIG. 12 comprises steps S51 to S55 of the process YC.

In step S51, the BAT2 signal from the power supply control circuit 19 is set high to turn on the FET 61 in order to supply power from the second battery. As a result, power supply from the second battery to the DCDC converter 18 is started.
Step S52 is a branching process for determining whether the FET 60 of the first battery is turned on. If the signal BAT1 for turning on the FET 60 is high, step S
At 53, the BAT1 signal is made low by the power supply control circuit 19, and the FET 60 is turned off. Thereby, the power supply from the first battery is stopped. Step S54 is a branching process for communicating with the second battery and determining whether the battery is low. In this process, communication with the second battery is continued until a low battery is detected. Step S54
When the low battery is detected in step S55, the power supply control circuit 1 is stopped in step S55 to stop driving the second battery.
From step 9, the BAT2 signal is set low, and the FET 61 is turned off. Thereby, the power supply of the second battery is stopped.

In the process (4), it is determined that the battery cannot be driven, and the power supply control circuit 19 does not turn on both batteries.
Do not boot the system.

The processing S shown in FIG.
Communication processing of a plurality of batteries is performed in S67.

Step S61 is to initialize a timer for switching the battery communication every arbitrary time. A timer is started by step S62, which continues counting until initialized. In step S63, data communication is performed between the first battery mounted in the battery slot 11 and the battery interface 53 of the power supply control circuit 19. The information at this time is CP
Via the U interface 55, the CPU 30
It is stored in the TC 32 at one time.

When a low battery is detected in step S63, the process (3) in FIG. 12 is executed to switch to driving with the second battery in branch step S64. Step S65 is a branching process for determining whether it is time to switch to another battery with respect to an arbitrary time. If it is determined in step S65 that the predetermined time has elapsed, communication with the second battery installed in the battery slot 12 is started. If the predetermined time has not elapsed in step S65, the average of the current values obtained through communication with the first battery is averaged in step S66, and if the current value has changed significantly, the load condition has been changed. However, it is determined that the second battery needs to be checked under the variable load condition,
The process proceeds to step S67 to obtain information on whether switching to the second battery is possible.

The information obtained by communication is the remaining use time and the battery temperature with respect to the current load current. Here, the intelligent battery has data of the full capacity of the battery itself, and can calculate the remaining time with respect to the actual load current by a calculation formula of (total capacity / load current = remaining use time). In the conventional method, the load current is ignored because no load is applied to the battery not used, and the remaining use time is calculated using other conditions such as voltage. Therefore, accurate information could not be provided to the user because conditions in each battery were different. In this means, the battery information under the same load condition can be obtained by supplying the load current to the unused battery. The obtained battery information is C
It is sent to the CPU 30 via the PU interface 55 and performs the following calculation. When performing this calculation, correction is performed for the following reasons.

Normally, the temperature of the first battery and the temperature of the second battery are different from the temperature of the first battery under the actual load and the temperature of the second badder. The temperature of the battery is T + ΔT (ΔT may be negative). Therefore, there is a possibility that the information obtained by switching the batteries in the previous processes YA to YC has different battery temperature conditions. In particular, when the load of the device is large, it is considered that the temperature of the second battery that gives the actual load only when the battery information is obtained does not rise so much.

The temperature of the second battery is corrected in order to eliminate any error caused by the difference in temperature ΔT. This temperature correction value is calculated based on the temperature characteristics of the battery. This temperature correction value is stored in the RTC 32 of the PC logic unit 21 and is read out by the CPU 30 when performing the calculation and used for the calculation. When the information and the calculated value of each battery are as follows, B1 → the remaining usage time value of the first battery B2 → the remaining usage time value of the second battery α → the temperature correction constant B2 * → the correction remaining usage time of the second battery B → First and second total battery use time The first and second total battery use time B is calculated by B = B1 + B2 * (B2 * = B2 × α).

The value obtained by the above equation is LC
The image is displayed on the LCD 8 by the DC controller 38 or on the display unit 10 by the display control unit 48. Thus, the user can accurately know the total usage time when a plurality of batteries are mounted.

The program according to each of the flowcharts described above is stored in the BIOS 31 and operates to
It is possible to realize the control method described above.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of a rechargeable battery (battery) driven electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, reference numeral 101 denotes a CPU for performing arithmetic processing such as control of equipment and analysis of data; 102, a display unit comprising an LCD or the like for displaying characters, figures, images, etc .; An input unit 104 for receiving input of data and processing commands through a touch panel (touch key) or the like, and a ROM 104 for storing basic software, control data, and the like necessary for the device.

Reference numeral 105 denotes a RAM used as a data storage area or a work area necessary for information processing. Normally, the RAM 105 has a system work area or file management information used by the basic software of the ROM 104, an application program, or It is used as a data file used by application programs and as a work area for calculation. Reference numeral 106 denotes a battery power control unit that controls the power of the device, 107 denotes a battery remaining amount detecting unit that detects the remaining amount of the battery, and 108 denotes a charging time measuring unit that measures the charging time of the battery.

Reference numeral 109 denotes a battery information analysis unit which executes a battery state analysis process based on information from the battery remaining amount detection unit 107 and the charging time measurement unit 108, and stores control programs and data necessary for the process. It is composed of a ROM section and a RAM section used as a work area necessary for calculation. Reference numeral 110 denotes a battery information storage unit, which is a voltage value for each elapsed time of a normal battery, information necessary for a correction calculation corresponding to an environment (temperature, humidity, etc.), the number of times of use, etc. And a RAM section for recording information on the battery, such as recording a voltage value change for each elapsed time. 111 is a battery (battery) for driving the device, 11
Reference numeral 2 denotes a data bus used for exchanging data and control signals with each unit in the device.

Further, regarding the battery information analysis unit 109,
ROM that stores control programs and data required for processing
And RAM used as a work area necessary for processing
Although an example of the configuration is shown, the control program and data are stored in the ROM 104, and the RAM 106
It is also possible to easily secure a dedicated work area by adding such a function to the basic software of the device.

Further, the battery information storage unit 110 has been described as an example configured by a RAM unit that records and manages data and the like relating to the battery state generated by the battery information analysis unit 109. However, a dedicated work area is provided on the RAM 105. Can be easily realized by adding such a function to the basic software of the device.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for diagnosing a battery state at the time of charging in the electronic apparatus of the present embodiment.

In step S101, it is checked whether the battery whose charging is to be started is in a low battery state, a process of recording the result in the battery information storage unit 110 is performed, and the process proceeds to step S102. In step S102, a time to start charging is acquired, and the battery information storage unit 110
Is performed, and the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S103, a process for charging the battery 11 is performed based on the control of the battery power controller 6, and when the charging is completed, the process proceeds to step S104. Step S10
In step 4, the time at which the charging is completed is acquired, a process of recording the time in the battery information storage unit 10 is performed, and the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, step S10
1, based on the information obtained in S102 and S104, and information in the battery information storage unit 10 in which basic data and the like regarding the voltage value change for each elapsed time of the battery are stored.
A battery state diagnosis process is performed, and the process ends.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the battery diagnosis process in step S105 of FIG.

In step S111, the battery charging process is performed by searching the battery information storage unit 110 to check whether the remaining battery level has been executed from the low battery state of the apparatus. If so, the process proceeds to step S112; otherwise, the process ends.

In step S112, step S in FIG.
A process of comparing whether the charging time at 103 is shorter than a predetermined charging time stored in the battery information storage unit 110 is performed, and if it is determined that the charging time is shorter than the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S114; Then, the process proceeds to step S113. In step S113, a process of comparing a voltage value change for each elapsed time of the normal battery stored in the battery information storage unit 110 with a voltage value for each actual elapsed time of the currently used battery is performed. If it is determined that the voltage value is significantly different from the voltage change in a normal battery, step S
Go to 114; otherwise, end the process.

In step S114, a process (message or the like) for notifying the display unit 102 that an abnormality has occurred in the battery is performed, and the process ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in a chargeable battery-operated electronic device, the state of the battery is diagnosed by checking the voltage required for charging and the voltage value for each elapsed time during the charging process. It is possible to prevent a decrease in the battery performance of the device (memory effect). Also,
Battery defects (e.g., life or deterioration due to excessive use) can be found. Further, it is possible to reduce the workload of the system administrator such as maintenance on devices and battery power.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Since the third embodiment has the same configuration as that described in the second embodiment, the description of the configuration will be omitted here, and the features unique to the second embodiment will be described. I do.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the battery diagnosis process in step S105 of FIG.

In step S121, the battery charging process is performed by searching the battery information storage unit 110 to check whether the remaining battery level has been executed from the low battery state of the device. If so, the process proceeds to step S122; otherwise, the process ends.

In step S122, step S of FIG.
A process of comparing whether the charging time at 103 is shorter than a predetermined charging time stored in the battery information storage unit 110 is performed, and if it is determined that the charging time is shorter than the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S123; Then, the present process ends.

In step S123, a message notifying that an abnormality has occurred in the battery is displayed on display unit 10.
2 is displayed, and this processing ends.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in a rechargeable battery-operated electronic device, the state of the battery is diagnosed by checking the required charging time during the charging process, thereby lowering the battery performance of the device. Memory effect) can be prevented. In addition, it is possible to find out a defect of the battery (life or deterioration due to excessive use). Further, it is possible to reduce the workload of the system administrator such as maintenance on devices and battery power.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of one device. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to a case where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus. In this case, by reading a storage medium storing a program represented by software for achieving the present invention into the system or the device, the system or the device can enjoy the effects of the present invention.

[0099]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect, information on a plurality of batteries under the same load condition can be obtained.

According to the second aspect, a plurality of batteries can be controlled based on information of the plurality of batteries under the same load condition, and a safe use environment when the batteries are driven can be realized.

According to the third aspect, accurate remaining battery usage time information can be provided to the user based on information of a plurality of batteries under the same load condition.

According to the fourth aspect, the state of the battery can be diagnosed by checking the required voltage for charging and the voltage value for each elapsed time during the charging process, so that the following effects are obtained. (1) It is possible to prevent a decrease in the battery performance of the device (memory effect). (2) Battery failure of equipment (lifetime, deterioration, etc. due to excessive use) can be found. (3) It is possible to reduce the workload of the system administrator such as maintenance on equipment and battery power.

According to the fifth aspect, the same effect as that of the first aspect can be obtained.

According to the sixth aspect, the same effects as those of the second aspect can be obtained.

According to the seventh aspect, the same effect as that of the third aspect can be obtained.

According to the eighth aspect, an effect equivalent to that of the fourth aspect can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a power supply system of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a portable PC which is an information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.
FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a PC logic unit 21;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power supply control circuit 19;

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a battery switching circuit 16;

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a charging circuit 15;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process XA for defining a state of a first battery.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process XB for defining a state of a second battery.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a battery control process Y for switching a plurality of batteries.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control process YA for switching a power supply source from a first battery drive to a second battery drive.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a battery control process YB of a process (2) driven by only the first battery.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a battery control process YC of process (3) driven by only the second battery.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing communication processing S of a plurality of batteries.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of a rechargeable battery (battery) driven electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of diagnosing a battery state during charging in the electronic apparatus of the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a battery diagnosis process.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a battery diagnosis process.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing an example of a voltage value change for each elapsed time of a battery.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Keyboard (KB) 8 LCD 10 Display Unit for Battery Remaining Display 21 PC Logic Unit 25 Power Supply Unit 26 Power Supply Control Unit 30 CPU 31 BIOSROM 32 Real Time Clock (RTC) 45 Hard Disk (HDD) 33 DMA Controller (DMAC) 42 Timer ( (TIMER) 43 system memory 101 CPU 102 display unit 103 input unit 104 ROM 105 RAM 106 battery power control unit 107 battery remaining amount detection unit 108 charging time measurement unit 109 battery information analysis unit 110 battery information storage unit 111 battery

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A battery control device for controlling a plurality of batteries capable of communicating information including a battery voltage or a battery remaining amount, wherein: a switching control means for arbitrarily switching the battery while in use; A battery control device comprising: communication means for obtaining information on the actual load state of the battery. 2. An information processing apparatus comprising an information processing unit that operates using a plurality of batteries as a power supply, wherein: a switching control means for arbitrarily switching the battery while in use; and an actual load state of the battery switched according to the switching control means. An information processing apparatus, comprising: a communication unit that obtains information from the communication unit; and a battery control unit that controls the plurality of batteries based on information obtained by the communication unit. 3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising display means for displaying information obtained by said communication means. 4. An electronic device driven by a rechargeable battery, a battery power control unit for controlling battery power and battery charging of the device, a battery remaining amount detecting unit for detecting a battery remaining amount of the battery, Battery charging time measuring means for measuring a charging time of a battery; battery information storing means for storing battery information including a detection result of the battery remaining amount detecting means and a measurement result of the battery charging time measuring means; An electronic apparatus, comprising: battery information analysis means for analyzing a state of the battery based on storage contents of the means. 5. A battery control method for controlling a plurality of batteries capable of communicating information including a battery voltage or a battery remaining amount, wherein a switch control process for arbitrarily switching the battery while the battery is in use, and a switch process according to the switch control process. And a communication process for obtaining information on the actual load state of the battery. 6. A switching control process for arbitrarily switching during use of a battery to an information processing apparatus including an information processing unit that operates using a plurality of batteries as a power supply, and an actual load of the battery switched according to the switching control process. A battery control method, comprising: executing a communication process for obtaining information in a state; and a battery control process for controlling the plurality of batteries based on information obtained by the communication process. 7. The battery control method according to claim 6, wherein display processing for displaying information obtained by said communication processing is performed. 8. An electronic device driven by a rechargeable battery, a battery power control process for controlling battery power and battery charging of the device, a battery remaining amount detecting process for detecting a battery remaining amount of the battery, A battery charging time measuring process for measuring a charging time of the battery; a battery information storing process for storing battery information including a detection result of the battery remaining amount detecting process and a measuring result of the battery charging time measuring process; Based on the contents of the storage process,
A battery information analysis process for analyzing a state of the battery.