KR100648233B1 - portable computer having function to alarm the time to calibrate rechargeable battery and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The portable computer disclosed herein automatically detects that the rechargeable battery installed in the calibration time point is reached, and when the calibration time point arrives, the display screen informs the user that the calibration time point is reached. The user detects the calibration time of the rechargeable battery and activates the calibration function of the portable computer. According to the present invention, since the calibration time of the rechargeable battery is automatically sensed, the user can calibrate the rechargeable battery periodically. Therefore, the portable computer can prevent the occurrence of an error in detecting the maximum charge capacity and the current remaining capacity of the rechargeable battery, and can further extend the life of the rechargeable battery.

Description

Portable computer having function to alarm the time to calibrate rechargeable battery and control method

1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a portable computer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a routine for detecting a calibration time point in the battery charge control operation of the microcomputer 21 shown in FIG. 1;

3 is a flowchart illustrating a booting process of the portable computer illustrated in FIG. 1.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

10: CPU 11: Memory

12: BIOS 13: Video Controller

14: LCD panel 15: system bus

16: Cache 17: I / O Controller

18: I / O devices 19: IDE controller

20: auxiliary storage devices 21: micom

22: rechargeable battery 23: EEPROM

24: Keyboard 25: Mouse

26: LED

The present invention relates to a portable computer operating with a rechargeable battery, and more particularly, to a portable computer having a function of automatically detecting a calibration time point of a rechargeable battery and informing a user, and a control method thereof.

As is well known, rechargeable batteries have a reduced chargeable battery capacity due to their repeated charging and discharging. This is especially true when the battery is charged while not fully discharged or when the battery is not fully charged. As such, the rechargeable battery is reduced in its maximum charging capacity due to its characteristics, and it is necessary to accurately detect the change in the maximum charging capacity.

The maximum charge capacity data is used for battery charge control and battery level display control. However, as described above, since the maximum charging capacity of the battery is reduced according to its characteristics, an error may occur in the battery charging and remaining capacity display control using the maximum charging capacity data. To prevent this error, calibration is now available on most portable computers.

The calibration function is designed to detect the maximum charge capacity of the battery. When this function is activated, the battery is fully charged and fully discharged. The maximum charge capacity of a battery is measured by measuring the amount of current from fully charged to fully discharged. Most of these functions make use of the system configuration utility included in the BIOS of the portable computer. In addition, it is known that when the battery is fully discharged and fully charged, the battery life is extended longer than otherwise.

After recharging and discharging the battery a certain number of times, it is desirable to execute such a calibration function. In reality, users do not periodically use the calibration function. Therefore, even though the portable computer has a calibration function useful for using a battery, there is a problem that it is not properly used.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable computer having a function of automatically detecting a calibration time of a rechargeable battery of a portable computer and informing a user of the portable computer and a method of controlling the same. .

According to one aspect of the present invention for achieving the object of the present invention as described above, a portable computer system employing a rechargeable battery includes: information on the number of charges of the rechargeable battery and indicating that the rechargeable battery needs calibration A non-volatile memory for storing calibration indication information for storing the calibration indication information; First means for detecting the number of charges of the rechargeable battery and storing it in the non-volatile memory, and storing the calibration indication information in the non-volatile memory when the number of charges reaches the number of times required for calibration; And a second means for receiving the calibration indication information from the nonvolatile memory and informing the user that the rechargeable battery needs to be calibrated on a display screen when the calibration indication information indicates that calibration is required.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a calibration control method of a portable computer having a function of notifying a calibration time of a rechargeable battery includes: detecting number of charge information indicating a number of charges of the rechargeable battery from a non-volatile memory; step; Determining whether the number of charges indicated in the detected number of charges information reaches the number of times that the rechargeable battery needs to be calibrated; Setting calibration indication information to a point in time where calibration is required if the number of charges reaches the number of times that calibration is required; And if the calibration indication information indicates a time point at which calibration is required, informing the user of the need for calibration.

In this embodiment, the step of increasing the number of charges of the number of charge information when the rechargeable battery is charged, the number of charges does not reach the number of times required for calibration; And informing the user that calibration is necessary, and then initializing the charging count information and the calibration indication information when the calibration function of the portable computer is executed.

The portable computer of the present invention displays the calibration time point to the user through the display screen when the rechargeable battery mounted thereon is at the calibration time point, and executes the calibration function according to the user's selection of the calibration function.

(Example)

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The novel portable computer of the present invention automatically detects and notifies the user when his rechargeable battery reaches the calibration point. Therefore, the user knows that the rechargeable battery of the portable computer has reached the calibration point and uses the portable computer's calibration function to calibrate the rechargeable battery.

1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a portable computer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a portable computer of the present invention includes a CPU 10, a memory 11, a BIOS 12, a video controller 13, a cache memory 16, an I / O controller 17, an IDE controller ( 19), including the microcomputer 21, and the above-described configurations are connected to the system bus 15 via a mutual bus controller (not shown). An LCD panel 14 is connected to the video controller 13, and input / output devices such as an FDD, a serial / parallel port, an infrared port, and the like are connected to the I / O controller 17. The auxiliary controllers, for example, an HDD and a CD-ROM drive, are connected to the IDE controller 19. Input devices such as a keyboard 24, a mouse 25, and the like are connected to the microcomputer 21, and a plurality of LEDs 26 for displaying the state of the system are connected. A rechargeable battery 22 and an EEPROM 23 are connected to the microcomputer 21, and an AC adapter (not shown) input signal is input.

The microcomputer 21 controls the charging of the battery 22 and stores charging count information C_COUNT and calibration indication information ACTIVE in the EEPROM 23. The microcomputer 21 provides the portable calibration indication information ACTIVE to the CPU 10 during the booting routine by the BIOS 12. The calibration indication information ACTIVE is referenced when a specific routine for displaying the calibration time point of the BIOS 12 is performed by the CPU 10 during the booting process.

More specifically, the automatic detection of the calibration time point and the display function thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a routine for detecting a calibration time point in the battery charge control operation of the microcomputer 21 shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, in step S10, a routine for detecting a calibration time point is started. In step S11, the charging count information C_COUNT and the calibration indication information ACTIVE are read from the EEPROM 23. In step S12, it is determined whether the calibration indication information ACTIVE is '0'. If the calibration indication information ACTIVE is '0', the process proceeds to step S13 to increase the number of charge information C_COUNT to '1'.

Subsequently, in step S14, it is determined whether the charging count information C_COUNT has reached the designated number 'N'. When the charging count information C_COUNT reaches the designated number 'N', the flow proceeds to step S15 to set the calibration indication information ACTIVE to '1' and the charging count information C_COUNT to '0'. In step S16, the calibration indication information ACTIVE and the charge count information C_COUNT are stored in the EEPROM 23, respectively.

If the calibration indication information ACTIVE in step S12 is not '0', that is, '1', the routine for detecting the calibration time point is completed as step S17. If the charging count information C_COUNT has not reached the designated number 'N' in step S14, the process proceeds to step S16. After the calibration indication information ACTIVE and the charge count information C_COUNT are respectively stored in the EEPROM 23 through step S16, the routine for detecting the calibration time point is completed as step S17.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a booting process of the portable computer illustrated in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 3, when the portable computer is powered on in step S20, a booting process by the BIOS 12 is executed. When the specific routine for displaying the calibration time point is performed by the CPU 10 in step S21, as described above, the microcomputer 21 inputs the calibration indication information ACTIVE to the CPU 10.

The CPU 10 determines whether the calibration display information ACTIVE is '1' in step S22 while performing a specific routine for displaying the calibration time point. If the calibration indication information ACTIVE is '1', step S23 is performed. In step S23, it is displayed on the screen that it is time to calibrate. Then, when the user executes the calibration function by executing the BIOS setup in step S24, in step S25, the microcomputer 21 sets the calibration indication information ACTIVE and the charge count information C_COUNT to '0', respectively, to the EEPROM 23. Save it. When the rechargeable battery 22 is completely discharged in step S26, the portable computer is powered off. If the calibration indication information ACTIVE in step S22 is not '1', the process proceeds to step S27, where the booting process by the BIOS is completed and the operating system is driven.

In the above, the configuration and operation of a portable computer having a function of notifying a calibration time point of a rechargeable battery according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and a control method thereof are illustrated according to the above descriptions and drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention as described above, since the calibration time of the rechargeable battery is automatically detected, the user can calibrate the rechargeable battery periodically. Therefore, the portable computer can prevent the occurrence of an error in detecting the maximum charge capacity and the current remaining capacity of the rechargeable battery, and can further extend the life of the rechargeable battery.

Claims (3)

For portable computer systems with rechargeable batteries: A non-volatile memory for storing information about the number of charges of the rechargeable battery and calibration indication information for indicating that the rechargeable battery needs calibration; First means for detecting the number of charges of the rechargeable battery and storing it in the non-volatile memory, and storing the calibration indication information in the non-volatile memory when the number of charges reaches the number of times required for calibration; And a second means for receiving the calibration indication information from the nonvolatile memory, and notifying the user that the rechargeable battery needs calibration on a display screen when the calibration indication information indicates that calibration is required. Portable computer. In a calibration control method of a portable computer having a function of indicating a calibration time of a rechargeable battery, Detecting charge count information indicating a charge count of the rechargeable battery from a non-volatile memory; Determining whether the number of charges indicated in the detected number of charges information reaches the number of times that the rechargeable battery needs to be calibrated; Setting calibration indication information to a point in time where calibration is required if the number of charges reaches the number of times that calibration is required; And informing the user that calibration is necessary when the calibration indication information indicates a time point when calibration is required. The method of claim 2, Increasing the number of charges of the charge number information when the rechargeable battery is charged without the number of charges reaching the number of times required for calibration; And informing the user of the need for calibration, and then initializing the charge count information and the calibration indication information when the calibration function of the portable computer is executed.

Images