Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Battery or cell discharging – With charging
Patent
1999-01-28
2000-05-16
Tso, Edward H.
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Battery or cell discharging
With charging
320149, H02J 704, H02J 716
Patent
active
060641835
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a device detecting the amount of charge remaining in a battery used for electronics, such as electronic still camera, video camera, which employ a battery, such as a dry cell, a secondary cell, as a power supply.
BACKGROUND ART
Typically, the amount of charge remaining in a battery used in electronics, such as a electronic still camera, a video camera, which uses a battery, such as various types of cells, as a power supply is normally grasped depending on the output voltage of the battery and is signaled to the user. When the battery is running down, battery replacement is typically urged. When the battery is extremely running down and battery voltage drops below a predetermined lower limit, the body of the camera is typically forced to be powered off to prohibit shooting.
According to an appreciated and thus applied system, recent electronic still cameras and video cameras are provided with an optical view finder plus a large-screen liquid crystal display monitor (LCD monitor) which is placed in an operating state as required by the user to display an image sensed picture or a reproduced image thereon.
However, the LCD monitor mounted to the camera and placed in an operating state as required, as described above is also supplied with power from the battery of the camera. Thus the load on the battery varies depending on whether the LCD monitor is in an operating state or a non-operating state. This load variation results in varied battery voltage and hence the following disadvantage.
More specifically, it is assumed that when the amount of charge remaining in the battery of the camera is detected with the LCD monitor operated and a decision is made that the battery voltage drops below the lower limit so that the camera is once powered off forcibly, i.e. when any more shooting is impossible without changing the battery and the user is thus urged to change the battery, the user again operates the power-supply button without changing the battery to place the power supply in an on state. In such case, since the LCD monitor is maintained in a non-operating state until the user operates an LCD display button for starting monitor display, the load on the battery is reduced by the power to be supplied to the LCD monitor as compared with the load on battery that was provided when the power supply was forcibly placed in the off state so that battery voltage increases and thus slightly exceeds the lower limit. Thus the power supply is not forcibly placed in an off state and this state is different from the previous state urging the user to change the battery. This confuses the user as to which decision is correct.
The present invention therefore contemplates a device detecting the amount of charge remaining in a battery, wherein a decision based on the detected amount of charge remaining therein with the LCD monitor operated that the battery should be changed is not reversed even when the LCD monitor is placed in an non-operating state and the load on the battery is thus reduced.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
According to the invention recited in claim 1 of the present application, a device detecting the amount of charge remaining in a battery including a battery supplying a current to a body of electronics, comparison means for comparing a value of a voltage output from the battery with a reference value, and power supply control means for automatically powering off the body of the electronics when the value of the voltage output from the battery is lower than the reference value, is characterized in that the reference value is increased from an initial value by a predetermined amount when the body of the electronics is automatically powered off by the power supply control means depending on the comparison result from the comparison means and is then again powered on via manual operation of the power supply switch.
According to claim 2 of the present application, the device detecting the amount of charge remaining in a battery according to claim 1 is characterized in
Akizuki Hiroshi
Dotsubo Nobuhide
Michaelson Peter L.
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
Tso Edward H.
LandOfFree
Device detecting the amount of charge remaining in a battery does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device detecting the amount of charge remaining in a battery, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device detecting the amount of charge remaining in a battery will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-261275