JP2003524362A - System and method for housing two or more batteries in an electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] A system (10, 60) useful for accommodating two or more batteries (12, 14) in an electronic device (10). The system (10) includes a first mechanism (16, 18), the first mechanism (16, 18) determining a state of charge of the first battery (12) and the second battery (14), In response, a status signal is provided. A second mechanism (18, 32, 46) provides an indication of the remaining battery life associated with the first battery (12) and / or the second battery (14) based on the status signal. In certain embodiments, the system (10, 60) further includes a third mechanism (36), wherein the third mechanism (36) is configured to power the electronic device (10) based on the status signal with a first battery. (12) or the second battery (14) is selectively employed. In a more specific embodiment, the electronic device (10) is a wireless telephone (10) that includes a transceiver (24) and a computer (18) in communication with the transceiver (24). The computer (18) is connected to the display screen (32). The wireless telephone (10) has a housing (11) containing a transceiver (24), a computer (18), a first battery (12), and a second battery (14). The second mechanism (18, 32, 46) issues a first warning via the display screen (32) when the first battery (12) is exhausted. including. Another mechanism (18, 32, 46) issues a second alert when the second battery (14) is depleted or removed from the electronic device (10). Additional features include when the first battery (12) and / or the second battery (14) are low, when the second battery (14) is removed, and when the first battery (12) Alternatively, when the second battery (14) or both are exhausted, a warning is issued as indicated by the status signal.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a battery life determination system. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for determining remaining battery life in electronic devices that can simultaneously accommodate two or more batteries and in response switch between the batteries.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION New electronic devices, such as wireless telephones, have a built-in telephone battery and a removable external battery to provide overall battery life and associated talk time. I put it off. The use of two batteries, rather than one larger battery, increased the flexibility of device design and increased battery charging options.

Wireless telephones and other electronic devices measure the state of charge of the batteries involved,
It often includes hardware and corresponding software to provide an indication of remaining battery life in response. Unfortunately, most existing hardware and software packages for indicating remaining battery life are designed for phones or other devices that have only one battery.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a user-friendly system and method that accurately determines and indicates the remaining battery life in electronic devices with more than one battery. Further, there is a need for a user-friendly system and method that efficiently accommodates two or more batteries and selectively switches between batteries as a power source in response to remaining battery life indicators.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The need in the art is addressed by a system that serves to house more than one battery in an electronic device of the invention. In an exemplary embodiment, the system of the present invention is adapted for use in a wireless telephone to determine the state of charge of a first battery and the state of charge of a second battery and responsively provide a status signal. First to give
The mechanism of is included. The second mechanism provides an indication of the remaining battery life associated with the first battery, the second battery, or both based on the status signal.

In certain embodiments, the system further includes a third mechanism that selectively switches between a first battery and a second battery as a power source for the electronic device based on the status signal. The electronic device is a wireless telephone that includes a transceiver and a computer that communicates with the transceiver. The wireless telephone includes a display screen.
The wireless telephone further includes a wireless telephone transceiver, a computer, a first battery,
And a housing containing the second battery.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second mechanism is the first mechanism when the first battery is depleted.
Includes a mechanism for issuing warnings. Another mechanism issues a second alert when the second battery is depleted or removed from the electronic device. In another mechanism, when the first battery or the second battery, or both, is low, as indicated by the status signal, when the second battery is removed,
A warning is issued when the first battery, the second battery, or both are exhausted.

The novel design of the present invention benefits from a third mechanism that selectively employs a first battery or a second battery as a power source for an electronic device. By selectively adopting the first battery or the second battery as the power source based on the status signal, the option of the user of the electronic device concerned is improved. For example, a wireless telephone employing the system of the present invention may charge a first or second battery while continuing a call, thereby reducing call interruption.

Embodiments of the Invention Although the present invention has been described herein in connection with exemplary embodiments for particular applications, it is understood that the invention is not limited to those embodiments. Will.
For those having ordinary skill in the art and utilizing the teachings described herein, additional modifications and applications within the scope of the invention and the additional areas in which the invention may be effectively used. , And embodiments will be known.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a wireless telephone 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention, which includes a housing 11, an internal battery 12, an external battery 14, a battery life determination system 16, and A telephone computer 18 is included. For clarity, additional circuits such as clocking circuits and additional power lines are
Although not shown within radiotelephone 10, one of ordinary skill in the art will know where and how the additional circuitry required will be included.

The wireless telephone 10 further includes an antenna 20, which is a duplexer.
) 22 is connected. The duplexer 22 is connected to the transceiver 24, and the transceiver 24 is connected to the computer 18. The computer 18 houses a data interface adapter 26, a voice coding / decoding circuit 28, a keypad 30, a display screen 32, a battery life determination system 16, a power switch 36, and an external battery 14 to connect the external battery 14 to the external battery 14. It is connected to an external battery room 38 which connects to the computer 18. The internal battery 12 is connected to the output of the external charging source adapter 40, and the output of the external charging source adapter 40 is also connected to the computer 18 and the external battery compartment 38. The built-in battery 12 is also connected to the input of the battery life judging system 16, and the other input of the battery life judging system 16 is connected to the external battery 14 via the external battery chamber 38.

The battery status output of the battery life determination system 16 is connected to the input of the computer 18. The input of the power switch 36 is connected to the control output 37 of the computer 18. The display control output 39 of the computer 18 is connected to the display screen 32. The control outputs 37 and 39 carry a battery status signal containing information relating to the state of charge of the first battery 12 and / or the second battery. The charge state information takes the form of a control signal, a battery life display signal, or the like.

The first, second and third inputs of the power switch 36 are the output of the internal battery 12,
It is connected to the output of the external battery 14 and the output 50 of the charging source adapter, respectively. The power switch output 48 of the power switch 36 is the speaker 46, the transceiver 24,
Connected to display screen 32, keypad 30, computer 18, microphone 44, and voice coding / decoding circuitry 28, which typically powers wireless telephone 10. The voice coding / decoding circuit 28 is also connected to a microphone 44 and a speaker 46.

In operation, the battery life determination system 16 measures the voltage level associated with the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 and compares a predetermined battery voltage discharge curve associated with each battery 12 and 14 with the voltage level. To produce an indication of the relative remaining battery life of each battery 12 and 14. As is known in the art, a battery voltage discharge curve is a curve that shows the battery voltage as a function of time given a given discharge rate, that is, a draw of battery current. The battery life determination system 16 identifies the average shape of the new battery's discharge curve and maps the voltage value from the average discharge curve to a set of values that varies linearly with time.

The battery life determination system 16 may also employ measurements of the internal resistance of the batteries 12 and 14 to facilitate generation of a remaining battery life indicator for the batteries 12 and 14. A battery life determination system that employs internal resistance measurements to give an accurate indication of relative remaining battery life is described in J.
Currently pending U.S. patent application No. 09 / 298,761 filed by Pritchard (Atty.
Docket No. PA990094) (“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACCURATELY DETERMINING RE
MAINING BATTERY LIFE ”), which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.

The battery life determination system 16 is for use by the unique software of the present invention running on a computer 18, as described more fully below.
It supplies the battery status information to the computer 18. Battery life determination system 16
Gives a status value of the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 indicating the status of the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14. For example, when the internal battery 12 is not present or is not being charged, the battery life determination system 16 determines that the first battery 12 is not present or is being charged and the external battery is not being charged. 14 states and. Similarly, when the external battery 14 is absent or not charged, the battery life determination system 16 indicates that the external battery 14 is absent or not charged, and In addition, the state of the built-in battery 12 corresponding to the relative remaining battery life index is indicated by the battery state value. These battery state values are provided to computer 18, which
18 interprets the battery status value and executes software that provides the appropriate battery life message to inform the user of wireless telephone 10 in response.

The unique software of the present invention running on computer 18 also controls power switch 36 via a control input to power switch 36. The power switch acts as a 3-to-1 demultiplexer (DEMUX), selectively switching the power input from the output 50 of the internal battery 12, external battery 14, and external charge source adapter onto the output power line 48. The output power line 48 then directs current to the wireless telephone 10. As more completely separate, the unique software of the present invention determines whether an external charging source (not shown), internal battery 12, or external battery 14 powers the wireless telephone 10. Are selectively controlled based on battery status information relating to both batteries 12 and 14 and an external charging signal 50 provided from external charging source adapter 40 to computer 18. The battery status information is supplied to the computer 18 via the battery life determination system 16.

External battery 14 is not present or is not fully charged to support the call; internal battery 12 is fully charged to support the call; external charging signal When 50 is low, that is, when the external charging source is not connected to the external charging source adapter 40, software running on the computer 18 outputs the output of the internal battery 12 via the power switch 36. Switch to the output power line 48. External battery 14 fully charged to support calls; internal battery
When 12 is not present or not fully charged to support the call; and when the external charge signal 50 is low, the software running on computer 18 outputs the external battery 14 output. To the output power line 48. When both the external battery 14 and the internal battery 12 are sufficiently charged to support the call and the external charge signal 50 is low, the software running on the computer 18 is the external battery. Switch the output of 14 to the output power line 48. When the external battery 14 and the internal battery 12 are sufficiently charged to support a call and the external charge signal 50 is low, the software running on the computer 18 is the external battery
Switch the output of 14 to the output power line 48. When the external charge signal 50 is low and the internal battery 12 and external battery 14 are not sufficiently charged to support the call, the wireless telephone 10 remains turned off. The external charging signal 50 is executed on the computer 18 when the external charging source is connected to the external charging source adapter 40 and the external charging signal goes high in any of the above four situations. Is switched to the output power line 48 via the software and power switch 36. In addition, the external charging signal 50 provides charging current to the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 on demand, and the state of charge of the battery 12 or 14 or both passes through the battery life determination system 16. , As output to computer 18, via display screen 32 and software executing on computer 18. The unique software of the present invention manipulates the state of charge information provided via the battery life determination system 16 to produce a user friendly display via the display screen 32. User-friendly display is selectively controlled via user input from keypad 30.

To facilitate wireless communication via wireless telephone 10, antenna 20 transmits and receives signals via duplexer 22. The duplexer 22 serves to share the resources of the antenna 20 between transmitting and receiving functions. Transceiver 24 includes transmitter circuitry for transmitting signals such as coded voice signals or service negotiation signals via antenna 20 and duplexer 22. The transceiver 24 further includes receiving circuitry for receiving signals such as service negotiation messages or signals such as coded voice signals via another telephone, base station, or mobile switching center (not shown). Also includes. Transceiver 24 further includes downconversion circuitry required to convert the received signal to a digital baseband signal for processing via computer 18.
sion circuitry) is also included. In addition, transceiver 24 also includes up-conversion circuitry required to convert the transmitted signal from a digital baseband signal to a radio frequency signal in preparation for transmission via antenna 20.

A user can initiate a call by dialing a number through keypad 30. Computer 18 negotiates a service connection with an available wireless service provider via transceiver 24, duplexer 22, and antenna 20. Once the service is set up, the user's voice is input to the microphone 44, coded by the voice coding / decoding circuit 28, the computer 18,
It is transmitted via the transceiver 24, the duplexer 22, and the antenna 20. Similarly, the received voice message is decoded by the voice encoding / decoding circuit 28 and output as voice through the speaker 46. Data interface adapter
26 enables the software running on computer 18 to be upgraded and / or modified.

The unique software of the present invention helps to accommodate more than one battery, as described more completely below, and provides a user-friendly user with accurate information relating to the contained batteries. By providing the interface, the function of the wireless telephone 10 is improved. For example, by efficiently accommodating two or more batteries via the present invention and providing battery status information to the user via the unique display of the present invention, which is described more completely separately, the user may call. The external battery 14 can be replaced more easily without dropping. The unique software of the present invention running on computer 18 can be modified to accommodate more than two batteries without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are flow diagrams of software 60 executing on telephone computer 18 of FIG. 1, each software 60 having a respective built-in battery 12 provided by battery life determination system 16 of FIG. And based on the measured state of charge of external battery 14, provides an indication of the remaining battery life of internal battery 12 and external battery 14.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, when the user of the radiotelephone 10 accesses a battery menu or battery display via a predetermined command or sequence of commands, the control determines the initial connection mechanism 62. Go to. Mechanism for determining the first connection 62
Then, the software 60 is connected to the wireless telephone 10 only by the external battery 14, only the internal battery 12, both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14, and the external charging source (not shown). No) is connected via the external charging source adapter 40. This determination is made based on the status output from the battery life determination system 16. When the output line associated with the battery does not charge, i.e. supplies zero voltage, the battery is considered disconnected. When the external charging source is connected to the wireless telephone 10, each display shows “ ^* CHARGING ^* ” (“ ^* charging ^* ”)
Or the heading with the indication “CHARGE DONE” (“Charge complete”) is added and “BAT
The heading "TERY"("battery") has been removed from each display screen, which will be described later and will be described more completely separately. No battery connected, no external charging source connected. Battery menu (not shown) when not connected, indicates that either the internal battery or the external battery is not connected. When only the external battery 14 is connected, the control Goes to the mechanism 64 for retrieving the first state.

The first search mechanism 64 accesses the state of the external battery 14 from the battery life determination system 16. The state is converted to a graphical format displayed by a battery icon, a battery gauge, a message, a warning, or a combination thereof as described more fully below. Control then proceeds to mechanism 66 with no internal battery.

The built-in battery-free feature 66 indicates that no built-in battery is installed on the display screen 32 when the external charging source is not utilized.
It displays a message such as "nal Battery." Next, the software 60 displays a message such as " ^* Ext" indicating that the external battery 14 is in use, and describes it more completely. As such, it displays the battery gauge and battery icon associated with the external battery 14. Control then passes to mechanism 68 which checks for an end command.

A mechanism 68 for checking for an end command allows the user to power off (P
wr) as a result of pressing the button, battery 12 or 14, or as a result of being automatically shut down due to insufficient power from an external charging source,
Or as a result of the user inputting the command of the "QUIT" soft key,
Determine if a quit or power off command was issued. When a quit or power off command is issued, control proceeds to mechanism 108, which displays a battery icon, which displays the battery icon for the batteries 12 and 14 connected to wireless telephone 10. Display and software 60 exits. Otherwise, control passes to mechanism 70 for checking the charging source.

In the charging source inspection mechanism 70, the software 60 attaches the external charging source to the external charging source adapter 40 by an external charging signal 50 sent from the external charging source adapter 40 to the computer 18. It is determined whether or not When an external charging source is connected to the wireless telephone 10, control proceeds to the clear message mechanism 72.

In the message clearing mechanism 72, the external charging source has just been plugged in since the last message clearing mechanism 72 was completed, as indicated by the updated software variable (not shown). When plugged in, ie plugged in, the battery message or warning is cleared from the computer 18 memory (not shown). The message clearing mechanism 72 also begins to display a dynamic battery icon, which, as more fully described below, indicates the current charging of both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14. It shows the state dynamically, but not at the same time. The next installed battery will start charging and the corresponding battery will display “CHARGING” (“Charging”).
), And when the battery finishes charging, “CHARGE DONE” (
Change to the heading "Charge complete"). When charging, the internal battery 12 is first charged briefly and then the external battery 14 is charged briefly. The internal battery 12 is then fully charged and then the external battery 14 is fully charged if not already fully charged. During the series of charging operations described above, the dynamic battery icon indicates the status of the battery being charged, or otherwise follows the built-in battery 12 and other mechanisms implemented via software 60. The charge status of the external battery 14 is displayed. Charging internal battery 12 and external battery
Switching between charging and charging of 14 is accomplished by one of ordinary skill in the art by a separate power switch (not shown) between external charging source adapter 40 and internal battery 12 and external battery 14. ). Control then returns to the mechanism 62 which determines the first connection.

When the charging source checking mechanism 70 determines that the external charging source is not used, the control
The 74 proceeds to a maintenance mechanism 74, where the previously stored battery messages and alerts are stored and the corresponding displays are stored in the memory of the computer 18. Control then returns to the mechanism 62 which determines the first connection.

If the mechanism 62 for determining the first connection determines that both the built-in battery 62 and the external battery 14 are connected to the wireless telephone 10, the control proceeds to the mechanism 76 for searching the second state. move on. In the second state retrieval mechanism 76, the software 60 retrieves the remaining battery life index for both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14. When both batteries 12 and 14 are depleted so that they cannot provide sufficient power to support the call, control proceeds to depletion mechanism 78.

In the depletion mechanism 78, the software 60 sends a "Battery Expired" message informing the user that the battery is depleted when the external charging source is not present.
Displayed via a message such as "Turnin to turn phone 10 off"
generate a power off command after displaying a message like "g off", or
Or go to the screen labeled “Battery” and click “Int Expired
, Ext Expired ”(“ Built-in battery exhausted, external battery exhausted ”) message is displayed.

When an external charging source is connected to the wireless telephone 10, the depletion mechanism 78 indicates that both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 are depleted and they are currently charging. Display a message such as “ ^* CHARGING ^* Int Expired Ext Expired”. Control then passes to mechanism 68 which checks for an end command and the method ends when both batteries 12 and 14 are exhausted and no external charging source is attached to radiotelephone 10.

As determined by the second state retrieval mechanism 76, only the external battery 14 is depleted and the built-in battery 12 is not fully charged and is not considered to be low or depleted. When, control proceeds to the external battery depletion mechanism 80, where the software 60 generates a control signal to the power switch 36 to power the wireless telephone.
When not yet supplied to 10, the phone 10 is switched to the built-in battery 12.
Additionally, the external battery depletion mechanism 80 activates an alert, such as an audible tone, a flashing message, or both, indicating that the external battery 14 is depleted. When the user presses a key on keypad 30 such as an "OK" button, control passes to mechanism 82 which displays the internal / external battery.

The mechanism 82 for displaying the internal / external battery indicates whether the internal battery 12 or the external battery 14 is currently in use, and “ ^* ” indicates that the internal battery 12 is in use. When shown, the remaining battery indicator of each battery 12 and 14 is shown via a display configured via a display screen 32 containing a message such as " ^* Int". The display also further includes each battery 12 and
Included are 14 battery gauges and a battery icon indicating the current battery status. If one of the batteries 12 or 14 is depleted, the software 60 will, after an appropriate warning, indicate that the particular battery is depleted and that the battery has been depleted via a gauge, battery icon, and / or text message. Indicates.
After the user issues the Quit softkey command, control passes to mechanism 68 for checking the exit command.

In the mechanism 76 for searching the second state, when the software 60 determines that only the built-in battery 12 is exhausted and the external battery 14 is charged, the control is performed by the mechanism that the built-in battery is exhausted. Proceed to 84, where an appropriate warning is displayed, such as “Int Battery Expired”. The user presses “on the keypad 30
When a key such as "OK" is pressed, control passes to mechanism 82 which displays the internal / external battery.

In the mechanism 76 for searching the second state, when the software 60 determines that only the built-in battery 12 is low and the external battery 14 is charged, the control proceeds to the mechanism 86 of low built-in battery. , Here you will see an appropriate warning, such as “Int Battery Low”. When the user presses a key such as "OK" on keypad 30, control proceeds to mechanism 82 which displays the internal / external battery.

In the second state retrieving mechanism 76, when the software 60 determines that only the external battery 14 is low and the internal battery 12 is charged, the control is the external battery low mechanism 88. Proceed to to where you will see an appropriate warning, such as “Ext Battery Low”. The user selects “O” on the keypad 30.
When a key such as K "is pressed, control passes to mechanism 82 which displays the internal / external battery.

In the mechanism 76 for searching the second state, when the software 60 determines that both the external battery 14 and the internal battery 12 are low, the control is performed by the battery low mechanism.
Proceed to 90 and display an appropriate warning, such as “Ext Battery Low, Int Battery Low” (“External Battery Low, Internal Battery Low”). When the user presses a key such as "OK" on keypad 30, control proceeds to mechanism 82 which displays the internal / external battery.

In the second state retrieval mechanism 76, when the software 60 determines that the external battery 14 is low and the internal battery 12 is exhausted, control is passed to the first low / consumed mechanism 92. Go ahead and you will see an appropriate warning like "Ext Battery Low Int Battery Expired". When the user presses a key such as "OK" on keypad 30, control proceeds to mechanism 82 which displays the internal / external battery.

In the second state retrieval mechanism 76, when the software 60 determines that the internal battery 12 is low and the external battery 14 is exhausted, control is passed to the second low / consumed mechanism 94. Go ahead and you'll see an appropriate warning like "Ext Battery Expired Int Battery Low"("External Battery Exhausted, Internal Battery Low"). When the user presses a key such as "OK" such as keypad 30, control is built in /
Proceed to mechanism 82 for displaying an external battery.

In the second state retrieving mechanism 76, the software 60 allows the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 to be charged, and neither the external battery nor the internal battery is exhausted or not small. If so, control proceeds to mechanism 82 which displays the internal / external battery.

If the mechanism 62 that determines the first connection determines that only the built-in battery 12 is connected to the wireless telephone 10, control proceeds to a mechanism 96 that retrieves a third state. In the third state retrieval mechanism 96, an index of the remaining battery life of the built-in battery 12 is obtained via the battery life determination system 16. When the external battery 14 has just been disconnected, ie, the second state retrieval mechanism 76 is complete, the third state is retrieved only as indicated via the software tracking variable. When mechanism 96 completes, control proceeds to mechanism 98, which indicates switching, and software 60 causes the wireless telephone to
Display a message indicating that it has switched to use internal battery 12 as its power source. In the mechanism 98 that displays switching, the software 60
Display a message such as Now Using Int Battery. The message will be displayed for a predetermined period of time, for example 4 seconds, or until the user presses a key on the keypad 30. It

If four seconds has elapsed, or the user presses a key on the keypad 30, whichever occurs first, control passes to the mechanism 100 indicating that there is no external battery. The software 60 now displays a message indicating that no external battery is present, plus the remaining battery life of the internal battery 12 via the battery gauge and / or the battery icon. Also shows. Control then proceeds to the external battery checking mechanism 102, where the software 60 determines whether the external battery 14 has just been installed.
If the external battery is not yet installed, control passes to mechanism 68 which checks for an end command. Otherwise, control proceeds to the external charge state mechanism 104, where the software 60 determines if the newly connected external battery 14 is low or charged. When the external battery 14 is low or not charged, control proceeds to mechanism 68 for checking for an end command. Otherwise, control passes to mechanism 106 which indicates that an external battery is being used.
The mechanism 106 that indicates the use of an external battery indicates that the phone 10 is currently switching to using the newly provided external battery 14 as its power source. Display a message like this.
The message will be for 10 seconds or until a key on the keypad 30 is pressed,
It is displayed as soon as any one is performed. Control then passes to mechanism 68 which checks for an end command.

In this embodiment, features 66, 98, 106, 78, 80, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, and 9
The warning performed in 4 is accompanied by an audible electronic buzzer sound and / or a flushing message, but other types of warning may be performed instead without departing from the scope of the invention. May be. Further, in this embodiment,
A low battery is defined as approximately 5 minutes (+/- 3 minutes) of talk time remaining, although other times may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 when an external charging source is not attached to the wireless telephone 10.
1 according to the software 60 of the wireless telephone 10 of FIG.
3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a display 110 of various batteries displayed on a screen 32 of a crystal display (LCD).

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the first battery display 112 includes “BATTERY” (“
Under the heading "Battery"), the user is notified via the message "Int Expired Ext Expired" that both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 are dead. In addition, the battery icon 114 is shown. Has been done,
This shows the current state of charge of the batteries 12 and 14, which is empty for the first battery display 112. The first battery display 112 is implemented in the depletion mechanism 78 and / or 82 of FIGS. 2 and 3. First battery display 112
Then, the battery icon 114 blinks, indicating that the battery is no longer charged. When 4-7% of the charge of one of the batteries 12 and 14 remains, the battery icon 114 does not flash, but the indicator bar is left unfilled, as described more completely below. "QUIT" soft key 12
2 is displayed, which indicates that the user has entered a given key or sequence of keys to exit. The envelope-shaped icon 128 is the short message service (sho
rt message service (SMS) message is available or not.

[0047]   The second battery display 116 also includes a heading "BATTERY" (battery).
There is a “^*By displaying the word "Int" without the sign
Indicates that Battery 12 is not in use.^*To display the word "Ext"
Therefore, it indicates that the external battery 14 is in use. Built-in battery gauge 118
Is displayed next to the word “Int” and the remaining battery in the built-in battery 12
Indicates the life or charge level. Similarly, the external battery gauge 120
^*Is displayed next to Ext ”and indicates the remaining battery life of the external battery 14
Indicates the charge level. The battery icon 114 is the active battery,
In this case, the state of charge of the external battery 14 is shown. Battery icon 114
One of the indicator bars is lit when the external battery 14 is 7 to 1
It shows that it is charged 5%. The second battery display 116 is shown in FIG.
It is executed in the mechanism 82 for displaying the storage / external battery.

In the third battery display 124, the battery icon 114 has two indicator bars illuminated, indicating that the external battery is 15-40% charged. The " ^* " symbol is placed before the word "Int" and the battery icon 114 indicates the remaining battery life of the internal battery 12. The external battery gauge 120 matches the battery icon 114. Third battery display
124 is implemented in the internal / external battery display mechanism 82 of FIG. 3 In the fourth battery display 126, the battery icon 114 has three indicator bars illuminated, indicating that the external battery 14 is It shows that the battery is charged 40 to 65%. The external battery gauge 120 corresponds to the battery icon 114. Similarly, in the fifth battery display 128, the battery icon has four indicator bars illuminated, indicating that the external battery 14 is 65 to 100% charged. The external battery gauge 120 corresponds to the battery icon 114.

The display 110 of FIG. 4 applies when the phone 10 is removed from the external charging source. To view the battery display 110, the user accesses a battery menu (not shown) with a predetermined series of user inputs.

When the wireless telephone 10 is not attached to the external charging source, the display is either battery by displaying "Int" or "Ext" with a " ^* " prefix. Indicates if is used. For example, in all displays 110 of FIG. 4 except display 112, the external battery 14 is being used because it is charged. When the external battery 14 is exhausted, the "Int" text is displayed with the " ^* " symbol. The "QUIT" key returns the radiotelephone 10 to the standby state. The battery icon 114 reflects the status of the active battery.

FIG. 5 illustrates the configuration of various battery charge displays 140 displayed on the display screen 32 of the wireless phone of FIG. 1 when the external charging source is attached to the wireless phone of FIG. 2 and. It is a diagram shown according to the software of No. 3. In the display,
A first charge display 142, a second charge display 144, a third charge display mechanism 146, a fourth charge display mechanism 148, and a fifth charge display mechanism 150 are included. The charging display 140 is similar to the battery display 110 of FIG. 4, but with the first four displays 14
In 2, 144, 146, and 148, the heading “BATTERY” is “ ^* C” ^.
It changed to "Harging"("charging"), and in the display 150 of the fifth charge, "BATTER
The difference is that the heading "Y"("battery") has been replaced by the heading "CHARGE DONE". Display 140 is implemented in mechanism 78 and / or 82 of FIGS. It

On the display screen 32, whether the radiotelephone 10 is on or in a low power mode (off), an indicator of charging, ie “ ^* CHARGING ^* ” (“ ^* charging ^* ”).
) Is displayed. Due to the unique software 60, the sound emitted from the speaker 46 of the wireless telephone 10 becomes more intense when connected to an external charging source. In addition, the software 60 causes the sound coming from the speaker to diminish in intensity when removed from the external charging source.

When the wireless telephone 10 is in the on and standby modes or states and is connected to an external charging source, the battery icon 114 ′ is dynamic and the charging state of both batteries, ie the location. Indicates whether the given battery is charging or not charging. In this particular embodiment, batteries 12 and 14 are not charged at the same time.

When the phone 10 is being charged, the battery icon 114 'is progressively filled at pre-determined time intervals, for example 320 millisecond intervals, which is application specific and of ordinary skill in the art. It will be readily judged by the owner to meet the needs of a given application. When the phone 10 is in a slotted sleep state,
The phone 10 operates as previously described or otherwise determines the interrupted sleep cycle and updates the animated battery icon 114 'at the corresponding rate. The sleep state is when the phone is on but not monitoring the paging channel. The phone saves energy and cannot accept calls when it is asleep.

Depending on whether or not the internal battery 12 or the external battery 14 or both are connected to the wireless telephone 10, the internal battery 12 or the external battery 14 or both are fully charged. The process is repeated until Banners, times, and dates are also displayed if available. The feedback sound is
Speaker (whether the electronic beeper function (when the keybeep is activated) the phone 10 is connected to or disconnected from an external charging source
Sound comes out from 46. Phone 10 has Hands-Free Car Kit
, HFK) when connected to an external charging source except the device and the backlight (not shown) of the display screen 32 continues to be illuminated, the duration of the backlight illumination of the display screen 32 is performed on the computer 18. According to the user settings stored in the computer memory via the software.

When the phone 10 is in the low power mode, the gauges of FIG. 5 are displayed to show the levels of the internal battery 12 and the external battery (when they are connected) separately. Each time the wireless telephone 10 is attached to or detached from an external charging source, an individual feedback tone is emitted from the speaker 46. When the external battery 14 is not attached to the wireless telephone 10, only the “Int” gauge is displayed. When the phone 10 is on, the display 140 is accessible from a battery menu (more fully described above) accessible by certain user inputs,
Can be displayed. When the phone 10 is on and not connected to an external charging source, the " ^* CHARGING ^* "(" ^* charging ^* ") heading changes to "BATTERY"(" ^* battery ^* ") and the QUIT Soft keys are available. The dynamic battery icon 114 'is only displayed when the phone 10 is connected to an external charging source. When the phone 10 is in low power mode, the backlight of the display screen 32 is not illuminated.

When the dynamic battery icon 114 ′ becomes static and the battery 12 or 14 is fully charged, the phone 10 is in low power mode (also known as off mode). Or full mode, even in on mode. Phone 10 does not have internal battery 12 or external battery 14 (except AC adapter)
When connected to an external charging source, the phone 10 charges the internal battery 12 quickly, then the external battery 14 quickly, and then the internal battery 12 finishes charging quickly. After that, the charging of the external battery 14 is terminated. Fast charging
rging) is the process by which a battery is first charged for a predetermined period of time,
This is application specific and depends on the battery charging curve. Generally, quick charging charges a battery to the point where the charging curve of the battery begins to level off, but quick charging can be done at other charging times without departing from the scope of the invention. May be adopted.

FIG. 6 shows the LC of the wireless telephone 10 of FIG. 1 according to the software 60 of FIGS.
6 is a diagram showing the configuration of various battery warning displays 160 executed via D32. The warning display includes a first warning display 162, a second warning display 164, and a third warning display 164.
Warning display 166, fourth warning display 168, fifth warning display 170, sixth warning display 172, seventh warning display 174, and eighth warning display 176. The warning display 160 generally continues to be displayed for four seconds or until the "OK" softkey is activated by the user, whichever comes first. "
The "OK" softkey is activated by pressing the "OK" button on the keypad 30 of FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 6, the first warning display 162 displays “INTERNA
A message such as "L AND EXTERNAL BATTERY LOW" is displayed. The first warning display 162 is implemented in the low battery mechanism 90 of Figure 3. Battery icon 114 typically flashes or blinks when both batteries 12 and 14 are low.

In the second warning display 164, a message “INTERNAL BATTERY LOW” (“the built-in battery is low”) is displayed. The display of the second warning 164 is implemented in the low-battery mechanism 86 of FIG. The battery icon 114 typically flashes or blinks when it indicates that the internal battery 12 is low.

In the third warning display 166, a message “EXTERNAL BATTERY LOW” (“external battery low”) is displayed. The third warning display 166 is implemented in the low external battery mechanism 88 of FIG. The battery icon 114 typically flashes or blinks when it indicates that the external battery 12 is low.

The fourth warning display 168 includes “EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED INTERNAL LOW” (“
The external battery is exhausted and the internal battery is low ”message is displayed. The fourth warning display 168 is the second low / consumable mechanism 94 of FIG.
Executed in. The battery icon is not present in the fourth warning display 168.

The fifth warning display 170 includes “EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED INTERNAL LOW” (“
The external battery is depleted and the internal battery is low ") message is displayed. The fifth warning display 170 is implemented in the first low / down mechanism 92 of FIG. The icon 114 normally flashes in the fifth warning display 170.

In the sixth warning display 172, a message “EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED” (“external battery is exhausted”) is displayed. 6th warning display 17
Step 2 is executed in the mechanism 80 for exhausting the external battery in FIG. No battery icon is present in the sixth warning display 172.

In the seventh warning display 174, the message “Now Using Internal Battery” (“currently using internal battery”) is displayed. The seventh warning display 174 is implemented in the switching display mechanism 98 of FIG. 7th warning display
There is no battery icon on the 174.

In the eighth warning display 176, a message “BATTERY EXPIRED Phone Turning Off” (“battery is exhausted, phone is turned off”) is displayed. The display of the eighth warning 176 is executed in the consumption mechanism 78 of FIG. No battery icon is present in the eighth warning display 176.

Here, the software 60 executed on the computer 18 is the battery 12 and
Both 14 are monitored and charging information is supplied to them. Phone 10 is on,
When not charged, the battery icon 114 indicates the charge level of either the external battery 14 or the internal battery 12, but not both at the same time.
When the external battery 14 is not installed, the battery icon 114 indicates the charge level of the internal battery 12. When the external battery 114 is installed, the message "Now Using External Battery" will be displayed for 10 seconds or cleared by pressing any key. The battery icon 114 is then updated to reflect only the charge level of the external battery 14. When the external battery 14 is depleted and a warning is displayed, the battery icon 114 reflects the charge level of the internal battery 12 after user confirmation. When the external battery 14 is disconnected, the display screen 32 will show “
Give a notification message such as "Now using Internal Battery" for 4 seconds or press any key to clear.Battery icon 114 now reflects the charge level of internal battery 12. be changed.

Each alert message (indication 160 and see features 98, 106, 78, 80, and 84-94 of FIGS. 2 and 3) is accompanied by a single electronic buzzer sound, asking for user confirmation, or Alternatively, it is displayed until a predetermined time elapses. The phone 10 will display an appropriate warning upon detection in use and when turned on after being removed from the external charging source. The low battery warning (see displays 162-170 and features 86-94 in FIGS. 2 and 3) occurs when the telephone 10 has 5 minutes +/- 3 minutes of talk time left.
Dead Battery Warning (Displays 168, 170, 172, 176 and Features 78 of FIGS. 2 and 3)
, 80, 84) is performed when one or more of the batteries 12 and 14 no longer provide sufficient power to the wireless telephone 10 to support the call.

When the external battery 14 is exhausted, the phone 10 immediately draws power from the internal battery 12, but the battery icon 114 is not accompanied by a warning message. After user confirmation and “Now Using Internal Battery” (“Currently using internal battery”)
Message is displayed, the battery icon 114 shows the internal battery 12
Update to reflect the state of.

Low battery warning (displays 168, 170, 172, 176 and features 78 of FIGS. 2 and 3;
(See 80, 84) is issued without the user's "OK" response, the alert changes to reflect most current battery charge status (see mechanism 82 in FIG. 3). You only need to press "OK" once to clear the warning message.

The telephone 10 is connected to an external charging source, after which the software 60 of FIGS.
No duplicate warning messages are normally issued during the execution of software 60 unless it has been removed during execution of or the phone 10 has been turned off and then turned on again. Each time the phone 10 is connected to an external charging source, the record of past warnings is deleted. For example, when the phone 10 is connected to an external charging source after a low battery warning is issued and removed before the internal battery 12 charging display changes, “Internal Battery Low” (“ A warning "see low battery" (see mechanism 86 in Figure 3) is displayed again. The warning is displayed again each time the power is turned on.

When changes related to the external battery 14 affect the state of charge of the external battery 14, an appropriate warning is displayed. For example, “External Expired Internal Lo
w ”(“ External battery is depleted, internal battery is low ”) (see mechanism 94 in Figure 3) is displayed, and when you replace the external battery, the newly installed external battery reappears. As long as there is no power depletion, new messages reflecting the state of the internal battery (low) will not be repeated, in which case an appropriate warning will be displayed including the state of the external battery (low).

When the battery is completely discharged, the battery icon 114 does not have a corresponding warning. This is "EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED"("external battery is exhausted")
) And “BATTERY EXPIRED” warnings. The "EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED INTERNAL LOW" warning ("external battery depleted, internal battery low") follows the rules above only when the warning is issued by discharging the external battery 14. Built-in battery warning 12
Battery icon 11 when responding only to the charge level (less in this example)
4 continues to be displayed.

Low Battery Warning (Displays 162-170 and Features 86 of FIGS. 2 and 3)
Through 94) overrides the "Missed Call" indication (not shown). A "Missed Call" notification appears after the low battery warning is acknowledged.

Various displays (110 in FIG. 4, 140 in FIG. 5, and 160 in FIG. 6) have timeout counters, eg, call drop and call fail.
Is displayed, an appropriate message associated with the display of a call abort or call failure is displayed, and the display screen 32 of FIG. 1 times out, indicating a low battery warning.

Low Battery Warning (Displays 162-170 and Mechanism 86 of FIGS. 2 and 3)
Through 94) are short message services (SMS)
) Notification to override. When the incoming SMS warning arrives and the low battery warning is displayed, the SMS message is displayed for 4 seconds followed by the low battery warning. Pressing any key for 4 seconds will display a low battery warning. An envelope-shaped icon 128 is displayed to indicate the received SMS message.

When the built-in battery 12, or both the built-in battery 12 and the external battery 14, cannot support a call, a warning is displayed before the phone 10 is turned off (display 176 and FIG. 6 of FIG. 6). 2 mechanism 78). When the user is on a call, the user is alerted with a low battery warning and a corresponding sound every minute.

Thus, the present invention has been described herein with reference to a particular embodiment for a particular application. One of ordinary skill in the art and accessing this teaching will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Accordingly, the claims are intended to cover any and all such applications, modifications, and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is an exemplary diagram of a wireless telephone constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention and including an internal battery, an external battery, and a battery life determination system, and a telephone computer.

2 is a diagram for providing an indication of the remaining battery life of an internal battery and an external battery, based on the measured state of charge of the internal battery and the external battery, respectively, provided by the battery life determination system of FIG. 1; 3 is a flowchart of software executed on the first telephone computer.

3 is a diagram for providing an indication of the remaining battery life of an internal battery and an external battery based on the measured state of charge of the internal battery and the external battery, respectively, provided by the battery life determination system of FIG. 3 is a flowchart of software executed on one telephone computer, which continues from FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration of various battery displays displayed on the display screen of the wireless phone of FIG. 1 according to the software of FIGS. 2 and 3 when the external charging source is not attached to the wireless phone. diagram.

5 is a diagram showing the configuration of various battery displays displayed on the display screen of the wireless telephone of FIG. 1 according to the software of FIGS. 2 and 3 when the external charging source is attached to the wireless telephone. .

6 is a diagram showing the configuration of various battery alert displays implemented via the display screen of the wireless telephone of FIG. 1 in accordance with the software of FIGS.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE, TR), OA (BF , BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, G M, KE, LS, MW, MZ, SD, SL, SZ, TZ , UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AG, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, B Z, CA, CH, CN, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK , DM, DZ, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, J P, KE, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR , LS, LT, LU, LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MZ, NO, NZ, PL, PT, R O, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ , TM, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW (72) Inventor Kenergy, Jason Gee             California, United States             92104 San Diego, Date Sutri             Boot 3360 (72) Inventor Jenny Cheuk-Yang             California, United States             92572 San Clemente, number 11             F, Avenue Vista Montana 240 (72) Inventor Ross, David Jay             California, United States             92130 San Diego, Lago Di Gu             Rata Circle 4008 F-term (reference) 5G003 BA04 DA02 EA05 FA07 GC05                 5H030 AS11 AS14 BB23 BB26 FF41                 5K027 AA11 BB01 FF14 FF22 GG04                       MM04 [Continued summary] Have a gu (11). The second mechanism (18, 32, 46) Display screen when the first battery (12) is exhausted A mechanism (18, 3) for issuing the first warning via the 2,46) are included. Another mechanism (18, 32, 46) is the second bar. When the battery (14) is exhausted or an electronic device Issue a second warning when removed from (10) It The additional mechanism includes a first battery (12) or a second battery (12). When the battery (14) or both are low, the second When the battery (14) of the Terri (12) or second battery (14), or this When both are exhausted, indicated by a status signal So issue a warning.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A system (10, 60) useful for housing two or more batteries (12, 14) in an electronic device (10), the first battery (12) and the second battery (12). A first mechanism (18, 60) for determining the state of charge of 14) and giving a state signal in response to the state of charge; and a first battery (12) or a second battery (14) based on the state signal, or A second mechanism (18,60) that gives an indication of the remaining battery life associated with both.
, 32, 46) and a system (10, 60). 2. A power supply for an electronic device (10) based on a status signal.
The system of claim 1, further comprising a third mechanism for selectively switching between the one battery (12) and the second battery (14). 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device (10) is a wireless telephone (10). 4. A radiotelephone (10) for a radiotelephone transceiver (24), a computer (18) in communication with the transceiver (24), a display screen (32) and a computer (18), a first battery (12), The system of claim 3 including a radiotelephone housing (11) containing a second battery (14). 5. The second mechanism (18, 18) when the first battery (12) is exhausted.
The system of claim 1, wherein 60, 32, 46) includes a mechanism (18, 60, 32, 46) for issuing a first warning (78, 84, 92, 100, 170, 176). 6. The second battery (14) is exhausted or the electronic device (
When removed from 10), the second mechanism (18, 60, 32, 46) causes the second warning (66
, 78,80,94,168,172,176). The system of claim 5, further comprising a mechanism (18,60,32,46) for issuing. 7. A first battery (12) or a second battery (14) when the first battery (12) or the second battery (14), or both of them are low,
Alternatively, when both are removed, and when the first battery (12) or the second battery (14) is depleted, the second signal is generated as indicated by the status signal.
Mechanism (18,60,32) for issuing a warning (110,140,160)
, 32, 46).