Electronic device, control method for electronic device, and program

Abstract

To calculate an estimated operation time of electronic devices accurately than before and immediately as needed.SOLUTION: A storage device 23 stores a power table indicating a relation between a residual power amount when operating by the power of a battery 12 and consumption power of an electronic device 1 for multiple values of a predetermined residual power amount of the battery 12. A power management circuit 14 detects a present residual power amount of the battery 12. A CPU 21 calculates estimated consumption power of the electronic device 1 in reference to a power table based on the present residual power amount when the electronic device 1 operates by the power of the battery 12, and calculates estimated operation time of the electronic device 1 based on the estimated consumption power. A display device 24 displays the estimated operation time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, a control method for an electronic device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic devices such as portable personal computers operate on power supplied by a storage battery attached or connected to them. When operating on battery power, such electronic devices are required to display an estimated operating time to the user.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic device that selects a power source according to the power supply capacity of the power source, and allows a user to more accurately grasp the power supply status of the electronic device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-170074 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses calculating the remaining operating time of an electronic device by obtaining the current consumption and remaining discharge capacity from a battery and dividing the remaining discharge capacity by the current consumption. However, the method of calculating the estimated operating time as described in Patent Document 1 does not reflect the actual usage status of the electronic device and may be inaccurate. Therefore, there is a need for a method of calculating the estimated operating time of an electronic device more accurately than conventional methods. Furthermore, there is a need for a method of calculating the estimated operating time of an electronic device immediately as needed, such as when the power supply from an external power source is stopped and the electronic device starts operating on power from a storage battery.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device that can calculate an estimated operating time of the electronic device more accurately and instantly as needed, and to provide a control method and program for such an electronic device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, The storage battery; a storage device that stores a power table that indicates, for a plurality of predetermined values ​​of the remaining amount of power of the storage battery, a relationship between the remaining amount of power and the power consumption of the electronic device when the electronic device is operating on power from the storage battery; a power management circuit for detecting a current remaining amount of power of the storage battery; an arithmetic circuit that, when the electronic device is operating on power from the storage battery, calculates an estimated power consumption of the electronic device by referring to the power table based on the current remaining power amount, and calculates an estimated operating time of the electronic device based on the estimated power consumption; and a display device that displays the estimated operation time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the estimated operating time of an electronic device can be calculated more accurately than ever before and instantly as needed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a power table stored in the storage device 23 of FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a power table generation process executed by the CPU 21 of FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation time estimation process executed by the CPU 21 of FIG. [Figure 5]1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a pop-up window including an estimated operation time displayed on the display device 24 of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters or redundant description of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0011] The inventor(s) provide the accompanying drawings and the following description to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and do not intend for them to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0012] [Embodiment] [Configuration of the embodiment] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment. The electronic device 1 includes a storage battery 12 and can operate using power supplied by the storage battery 12. The electronic device 1 may be, for example, a portable personal computer (e.g., a notebook computer or a tablet computer), a mobile phone, or the like. The electronic device 1 is connected to an AC power source 2 via an AC / DC converter 3. The AC / DC converter 3 converts AC power supplied from the AC power source 2 into DC power and supplies it to the electronic device 1. The electronic device 1 operates using the power supplied from the AC / DC converter 3 and also charges the internal storage battery 12.

[0013] The AC power supply 2 and the AC / DC converter 3 are an example of an external power supply.

[0014] The electronic device 1 includes a charging circuit 11, a storage battery 12, a DC / DC converter 13, a power management circuit 14, a switch SW, and a load device 20.

[0015] In FIG. 1, thick lines indicate power lines and thin lines indicate signal lines.

[0016] The charging circuit 11 charges the storage battery 12 with power supplied from the AC / DC converter 3. The charging circuit 11 supplies power to the storage battery 12 at a variable voltage and a variable current depending on the charging rate of the storage battery 12, for example, in any one of a constant current mode, a constant voltage mode, and a constant power mode.

[0017] The storage battery 12 includes multiple cells 12a, a current sensor 12b, a voltage sensor 12c, and a nonvolatile memory 12d. Each cell 12a is a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery. The multiple cells 12a are connected in series and / or parallel to one another. The current sensor 12b detects the current supplied from the charging circuit 11 to the storage battery 12 (hereinafter also referred to as the "charging current" of the storage battery 12) and notifies the charging circuit 11 and the power management circuit 14. The current sensor 12b also detects the current supplied from the storage battery 12 to the load device 20 via the DC / DC converter 13 (hereinafter also referred to as the "discharging current" of the storage battery 12) and notifies the power management circuit 14. The voltage sensor 12c detects the voltage across the positive and negative electrodes of the storage battery 12 and notifies the charging circuit 11 and the power management circuit 14. Hereinafter, the voltages of the storage battery 12 during charging and discharging are also referred to as the "charging voltage" and "discharging voltage" of the storage battery 12, respectively. The nonvolatile memory 12d stores identification information of the storage battery 12, such as a manufacturing serial number.

[0018] The storage battery 12 may be configured to be detachable from the electronic device 1 or may be built into the electronic device 1.

[0019] The switch SW selectively supplies one of the power supplied from the AC / DC converter 3 and the power discharged from the storage battery 12 to the DC / DC converter 13 under the control of the power management circuit 14.

[0020] The DC / DC converter 13 generates one DC voltage or multiple different DC voltages using the power supplied from the AC / DC converter 3 or the power discharged from the storage battery 12, and supplies the generated DC voltages to the load device 20.

[0021] The power management circuit 14 controls the operation of the charging circuit 11, the switch SW, and the central processing unit (CPU) 21 of the load device 20. The power management circuit 14 also acquires the charging current, discharging current, charging voltage, discharging voltage, and identification information from the storage battery 12. The power management circuit 14 also includes a charging rate detector 14a, a power consumption detector 14b, and an external power detector 14c. The charging rate detector 14a calculates the charging rate and remaining energy of the storage battery 12 based on the charging voltage or discharging voltage of the storage battery 12. Since there is a fixed relationship between the voltage and the charging rate of the storage battery, the charging rate detector 14a can roughly calculate the remaining energy of the storage battery 12 by calculating the charging rate of the storage battery 12. The power consumption detector 14b calculates the power consumption of the electronic device 1 when operating on power from the storage battery 12 based on the discharging current and discharging voltage of the storage battery 12. The power consumption detector 14b calculates the discharged power of the storage battery 12 as the power consumption of the electronic device 1 when the electronic device 1 is driven by the storage battery 12. The external power supply detector 14c detects whether the electronic device 1 is operating on power supplied from the AC / DC converter 3 or on power discharged from the storage battery 12.

[0022] The power management circuit 14 may be, for example, a microcontroller of the type called an EC (Embedded Controller) for computers.

[0023] The load device 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 21, a memory 22, a storage device 23, a display device 24, an input device 25, and a communication interface (I / F) 26. The CPU 21 executes programs stored in the storage device 23 and controls the operations of the other components 22 to 26 of the load device 20. The memory 22 temporarily stores programs and data necessary for the operation of the electronic device 1. The storage device 23 stores programs and data necessary for the operation of the electronic device 1. The programs stored in the storage device 23 include an operating system for the electronic device 1 and application programs for processing described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The storage device 23 also stores, for example, a power table indicating the relationship between the charge rate and the power consumption of the electronic device 1 when operating on power from the storage battery 12 for multiple predetermined values ​​of the charge rate. The power table equivalently indicates the relationship between the remaining energy of the storage battery 12 and the power consumption of the electronic device 1. The storage device 23 may include, for example, a solid-state drive or a hard disk drive. The display device 24 displays the results of the programs executed by the CPU 21. The input device 25 receives user input that controls the operation of the electronic device 1. The user input includes, for example, identification information of a user who is logged in and using the electronic device 1. The input device 25 includes, for example, a keyboard and a pointing device. The communication interface 26 is communicatively connected to an external device via a wired line and / or a wireless line. The communication interface 26 may include an interface for connecting to a peripheral device, such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0024] The CPU 21 is an example of an arithmetic circuit.

[0025] The CPU 21 acquires identification information and status information of the storage battery 12 attached to the electronic device 1 from the power management circuit 14 via the operating system. The identification information includes, for example, the manufacturing serial number of the storage battery 12. The status information includes, for example, the full power capacity (mWh), remaining power capacity (mWh), and discharged power (mW) of the storage battery 12. The full power capacity is a current value that reflects the deterioration of the storage battery 12. The CPU 21 may also acquire, from the operating system, time information when the status information of the storage battery 12 was acquired. The time information is, for example, UNIX (registered trademark) time, i.e., the number of seconds elapsed since 0:00:00 AM on January 1, 1970 (UNIX epoch).

[0026] When the electronic device 1 is operating on power from the storage battery 12, the CPU 21 acquires from the power management circuit 14 the current charging rate and current remaining energy detected by the charging rate detector 14a and the current power consumption detected by the power consumption detector 14b, and updates the power table based on the current charging rate and the current power consumption. Instead of acquiring the current power consumption from the power management circuit 14, the CPU 21 may calculate the current power consumption based on temporal changes in the current remaining energy acquired from the power management circuit 14. When the electronic device 1 is operating on power from the storage battery 12, the CPU 21 calculates an estimated power consumption of the electronic device 1 by referring to the power table based on the current charging rate detected by the charging rate detector 14a, and calculates an estimated operating time of the electronic device 1 based on the estimated power consumption.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a power table stored in the storage device 23 of FIG. 1. The power table of FIG. 2 shows the relationship between a plurality of different charging rate intervals and the power consumption corresponding to each interval (as described above, the power consumption of the electronic device 1 when operating on power from the storage battery 12). The power table of FIG. 2 has 10 charging rate intervals. For example, the CPU 21 may obtain the power consumption corresponding to the charging rate within each of the 10 charging rate intervals and update the power table with the average value of the obtained power consumption. In this case, for example, in the charging rate interval from 79% to 70%, the CPU 21 obtains the power consumption corresponding to charging rates of 79%, 78%, 77%, ..., 70%, and updates the power table with the average value of these power consumptions.

[0028] The CPU 21 may also calculate the power consumption corresponding to each interval of the charging rate based on the remaining energy of the storage battery 12. When the electronic device 1 operates on power from the storage battery 12 and the charging rate is within a certain interval, the CPU 21 obtains the remaining energy P1 at a first time point t1 from the power management circuit 14, and then obtains the remaining energy P2 at a second time point t2 from the power management circuit 14. The CPU 21 calculates the power consumption Pave1 corresponding to the current interval of the charging rate using the formula Pave1 = (P1 - P2) / (t1 - t2). P1 and t1 may be the remaining energy and time corresponding to the upper limit of the current interval, or may be the remaining energy and time when the electronic device 1 starts operating on power from the storage battery 12. P2 and t2 may be the remaining energy and time corresponding to the lower limit of the current interval, or may be the remaining energy and time when the electronic device 1 resumes operation on power from an external power source. Calculating the power consumption based on the remaining power amount of the storage battery 12 eliminates the need to constantly monitor and record the power consumption, which simplifies the generation and updating of the power table compared to when the power consumption itself is acquired.

[0029] 2 also includes the number of times that power consumption has been recorded in the past for each section of the charging rate. The number of times that power consumption has been recorded in a certain section is counted as "1" when the corresponding power consumption is acquired for all or some of the charging rates included in that section and the power table is updated based on the acquired power consumption. Based on the number n of times that power consumption has been recorded in the past, the CPU 21 updates the power table by the average value Pave2 = (Pnew + n × Pold) / (n + 1) of the previously acquired power consumption Pold and the newly acquired power consumption Pnew.

[0030] When the electronic device 1 is operating on power from the storage battery 12, the CPU 21 obtains the current state of charge detected by the state of charge detector 14a, reads from the power table power consumption values ​​corresponding to state of charge values ​​equal to or lower than the current state of charge, and calculates the average of the power consumption values ​​read from the power table as the estimated power consumption. For example, if the current state of charge is 55%, the CPU 21 calculates the average of the power consumption values ​​corresponding to each section of the state of charge from 59% to 0%, i.e., (18,000 + 17,000 + 16,000 + 14,000 + 12,000 + 10,000) / 6 = 14,500 mW as the estimated power consumption. If the current state of charge is not at the upper or lower limit of the section, the power consumption corresponding to each section may be weighted to reflect this. In the above example, the CPU 21 may calculate (0.5 × 18,000 + 17,000 + 16,000 + 14,000 + 12,000 + 10,000) / 5.5 = 14,200 mW as the estimated power consumption.

[0031] The CPU 21 can calculate the estimated operating time of the electronic device 1 by dividing the current remaining amount of power in the storage battery 12 by the estimated power consumption.

[0032] When the electronic device 1 is used by multiple users, the CPU 21 may generate a power table for each user and store the power table in the storage device 23. In this case, the CPU 21 acquires the identification information of the user who is using the electronic device 1, and calculates the estimated power consumption by referring to the power table corresponding to the user's identification information.

[0033] When the storage battery 12 is configured to be detachable from the electronic device 1, the CPU 21 may generate a power table for each storage battery 12 and store the power table in the storage device 23. In this case, the CPU 21 obtains identification information of the storage battery 12 attached to the electronic device 1, and calculates the estimated power consumption by referring to the power table corresponding to the identification information of the storage battery 12.

[0034] [Operation of the embodiment] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the power table generation process executed by the CPU 21 of Fig. 1. The power table generation process is implemented as an application program executed on the operating system.

[0035] In step S1, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the power supply from the external power source (that is, the AC power source 2 and the AC / DC converter 3) has stopped, and if YES, proceeds to step S2, and if NO, repeats step S1.

[0036] In step S2, the CPU 21 acquires, from the operating system, the identification information of the user who has logged in to and is using the electronic device 1.

[0037] In step S3, the CPU 21 acquires the identification information and status information of the storage battery 12 attached to the electronic device 1 from the operating system.

[0038] In step S4, the CPU 21 sets the current section of the charging rate that includes the current charging rate in the power table.

[0039] In step S5, the CPU 21 acquires the state information of the storage battery 12 from the operating system.

[0040] In step S6, the CPU 21 calculates the power consumption corresponding to the current section of the charging rate.

[0041] In step S7, the CPU 21 updates the power table with the power consumption calculated in step S6.

[0042] In step S8, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the power supply from the external power source has resumed, and if YES, the process proceeds to step S11, and if NO, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0043] In step S9, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the charging rate has reached the lower limit of the section due to discharging of the storage battery 12, and if YES, proceeds to step S10, and if NO, returns to step S5.

[0044] In step S10, the CPU 21 sets the next section of the charging rate in the power table, and returns to step S5.

[0045] In step S11, the CPU 21 acquires the state information of the storage battery 12 from the operating system.

[0046] In step S12, the CPU 21 calculates the power consumption corresponding to the current section of the charging rate.

[0047] In step S13, the CPU 21 updates the power table with the power consumption calculated in step S12.

[0048] 3, it is possible to obtain expected values ​​of power consumption corresponding to a plurality of predetermined values ​​of the charging rate. By referring to the expected values ​​of power consumption, it is possible to calculate with high accuracy the estimated power consumption and estimated operating time when the storage battery 12 is at a certain charging rate when the electronic device 1 is operating on power from the storage battery 12.

[0049] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation time estimation process executed by the CPU 21 of Fig. 1. The operation time estimation process is implemented as an application program executed on the operating system.

[0050] In step S21, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the power supply from the external power source has stopped, and if YES, the process proceeds to step S22, and if NO, the process repeats step S21.

[0051] In step S22, the CPU 21 acquires, from the operating system, the identification information of the user who has logged in to and is using the electronic device 1.

[0052] In step S23, the CPU 21 acquires the identification information and status information of the storage battery 12 attached to the electronic device 1 from the operating system.

[0053] In step S24, the CPU 21 reads out the power table corresponding to the user and the storage battery 12 from the storage device 23.

[0054] In step S25, the CPU 21 reads out from the power table the power consumption values ​​corresponding to charge amounts equal to or less than the current charge amount, and calculates the average power consumption values.

[0055] In step S26, the CPU 21 calculates an estimated operation time by dividing the current remaining power amount by the average value of the power consumption calculated in step S25.

[0056] In step S27, the CPU 21 displays on the display device 24 the estimated operation time calculated in step S26.

[0057] By executing the operation time estimation process of FIG. 4, the estimated operation time of the electronic device 1 can be calculated and presented to the user.

[0058] 4 shows a case where the estimated operating time is displayed on the display device 24 only once when the power supply from the external power source is stopped. In addition, the CPU 21 may execute steps S22 to S27 in FIG. 4 to display the estimated operating time on the display device 24 when the charging rate drops to a predetermined value (for example, 10% or 5%).

[0059] The CPU 21 executes the power table generation process of FIG. 3 and the operation time estimation process of FIG. 4 in parallel.

[0060] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a pop-up window including an estimated operation time displayed on display device 24 of Fig. 1. After checking the displayed estimated operation time, the user may press the "OK" button in the window to close the pop-up window, or may press the "Settings" button in the window to start an application program for power management.

[0061] According to the electronic device 1 of the embodiment, by referring to a power table showing the relationship between the charging rate and power consumption, it is possible to calculate the estimated operating time of the electronic device 1 more accurately than conventional methods. Specifically, since the power table reflects the actual past usage status of the electronic device 1 by the user, the present embodiment provides a novel method that can calculate the estimated operating time of the electronic device 1 more accurately than when dividing the remaining dischargeable capacity by the current consumption as in Patent Document 1.

[0062] According to the electronic device 1 of the embodiment, when the power supply from the external power source is stopped, the estimated operating time can be calculated immediately (for example, within one second) and presented to the user. For example, if the power supply from the external power source to the electronic device 1 is stopped in order for the user to move from his / her desk to a conference room or an outside location, the display device 24 displays that the estimated operating time is one hour. In this case, the user can bring the AC / DC converter 3 with him / her to the conference room or outside location. This makes it less likely that the battery will run out unexpectedly during mobile work, such as when the user is out and about.

[0063] According to the electronic device 1 of the embodiment, it is possible to accurately calculate the estimated operation time for each user and for each storage battery 12, reflecting the actual usage status of the electronic device 1.

[0064] [Effects of the embodiment] The electronic device 1 according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is operable using power from a storage battery 12 and includes the storage battery 12, a storage device 23, a first detector 14a, a CPU 21, and a display device 24. The storage device 23 stores a power table indicating the relationship between the remaining power amount of the storage battery 12 and the power consumption of the electronic device 1 when operating using power from the storage battery 12, for a plurality of predetermined values ​​of the remaining power amount of the storage battery 12. The power management circuit 14 detects the current remaining power amount of the storage battery 12. When the electronic device 1 operates using power from the storage battery 12, the CPU 21 refers to the power table based on the current remaining power amount to calculate an estimated power consumption of the electronic device 1, and calculates an estimated operating time of the electronic device 1 based on the estimated power consumption. The display device 24 displays the estimated operating time.

[0065] This allows the estimated operating time of the electronic device to be calculated more accurately than before and instantly as needed.

[0066] According to the electronic device 1 according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the electronic device 1 according to the first aspect may be further configured as follows: The CPU 21 acquires the current remaining amount of power when the electronic device 1 is operating on power from the storage battery 12, calculates the current power consumption based on the change over time in the current remaining amount of power, and updates the power table based on the current remaining amount of power and the current power consumption.

[0067] This allows the power table to be generated and updated.

[0068] According to the electronic device 1 according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the electronic device 1 according to the second aspect may be further configured as follows: The power table indicates the relationship between a plurality of different intervals of remaining energy and the power consumption corresponding to each interval. For each of the plurality of intervals of different remaining energy, the CPU 21 updates the power table with the current power consumption calculated when the current remaining energy falls within the interval.

[0069] This allows the amount of data in the power table to be reduced by dividing the remaining power into a small number of sections (for example, 10 sections).

[0070] According to the electronic device 1 according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the electronic device 1 according to one of the first to third aspects may be further configured as follows: When the electronic device 1 is operating on power from the storage battery 12, the CPU 21 obtains the current remaining amount of power, reads from the power table the power consumption corresponding to the remaining amount of power equal to or less than the current remaining amount of power, and calculates the average value of the power consumption read from the power table as the estimated power consumption.

[0071] This makes it possible to calculate with high accuracy the estimated operating time until the remaining power amount of the storage battery 12 reaches zero.

[0072] According to an electronic device 1 according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the electronic device 1 according to one of the first to fourth aspects may be further configured as follows: The storage device 23 stores a power table for each user of the electronic device 1. The CPU 21 acquires identification information of the user currently using the electronic device 1, and calculates estimated power consumption by referring to the power table corresponding to the user's identification information.

[0073] This allows the estimated operation time to be accurately calculated for each user, reflecting the actual usage status of the electronic device 1.

[0074] According to an electronic device 1 according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the electronic device 1 according to one of the first to fifth aspects may be further configured as follows: The storage battery 12 is configured to be detachable from the electronic device 1. The storage device 23 stores a power table for each storage battery 12. The CPU 21 acquires identification information of the storage battery 12 attached to the electronic device 1, and calculates estimated power consumption by referring to the power table corresponding to the identification information of the storage battery 12.

[0075] This allows the estimated operating time to be accurately calculated for each storage battery 12, reflecting the actual usage status of the electronic device 1.

[0076] A control method according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is a control method for an electronic device 1 that can operate using power from a storage battery 12. The method includes a step of reading from a storage device 23 a power table that indicates, for a plurality of predetermined values ​​of the remaining power of the storage battery 12, a relationship between the remaining power and the power consumption of the electronic device 1 when operating using power from the storage battery 12. The method includes a step of detecting a current remaining power of the storage battery 12. The method includes a step of, in response to the electronic device 1 operating using power from the storage battery 12, calculating an estimated power consumption of the electronic device 1 by referring to the power table based on the current remaining power, and calculating an estimated operating time of the electronic device 1 based on the estimated power consumption. The method includes a step of displaying the estimated operating time on a display device 24.

[0077] This allows the estimated operating time of the electronic device to be calculated more accurately than before and instantly as needed.

[0078] A program according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is a program including instructions to be executed by a CPU 21 implemented in an electronic device 1 operable with power from a storage battery 12. The instructions cause the CPU 21 to execute a step of reading, from the storage device 23, a power table indicating a relationship between the remaining power amount of the storage battery 12 and the power consumption of the electronic device 1 when operating with power from the storage battery 12, for a plurality of predetermined values ​​of the remaining power amount of the storage battery 12. The instructions cause the CPU 21 to execute a step of detecting the current remaining power amount of the storage battery 12. In response to the electronic device 1 operating with power from the storage battery 12, the instructions cause the CPU 21 to execute a step of calculating an estimated power consumption of the electronic device 1 by referring to the power table based on the current remaining power amount, and calculating an estimated operating time of the electronic device 1 based on the estimated power consumption. The instructions cause the CPU 21 to execute a step of displaying the estimated operating time on a display device 24.

[0079] This allows the estimated operating time of the electronic device to be calculated more accurately than before and instantly as needed.

[0080] [Other embodiments] As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to these, and can be applied to embodiments in which appropriate modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the components described in the above embodiments to create new embodiments.

[0081] As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology in the present disclosure, and for that purpose, the accompanying drawings and detailed description have been provided.

[0082] Therefore, the components shown in the accompanying drawings and detailed description may include not only essential components for solving the problem, but also components that are not essential for solving the problem in order to illustrate the above technology. Therefore, the fact that these non-essential components are shown in the accompanying drawings or detailed description should not be interpreted as immediately indicating that these non-essential components are essential.

[0083] Furthermore, since the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents. [Industrial Applicability]

[0084] One aspect of the present disclosure is applicable, for example, to calculating an estimated operating time of a portable personal computer that operates on power from a storage battery and presenting the estimated operating time to a user. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1 Electronic equipment 2 AC power supply 3 AC / DC converter 11 Charging circuit 12 Storage battery 12a cell 12b Current Sensor 12c voltage sensor 12d Non-volatile Memory 13 DC / DC converter 14 Power management circuit 14a Charge Rate Detector 14b Power Consumption Detector 14c External Power Detector 20 Load device 21 Central Processing Unit (CPU) 22 Memory 23 Storage device 24 Display device 25 Input Devices 26 Communication Interface (I / F)

Claims

1. An electronic device that can operate using power from a storage battery, The storage battery; a storage device that stores a power table that indicates, for a plurality of predetermined values ​​of the remaining amount of power of the storage battery, a relationship between the remaining amount of power and the power consumption of the electronic device when the electronic device is operating on power from the storage battery; a power management circuit for detecting a current remaining amount of power of the storage battery; an arithmetic circuit that, when the electronic device is operating on power from the storage battery, calculates an estimated power consumption of the electronic device by referring to the power table based on the current remaining power amount, and calculates an estimated operating time of the electronic device based on the estimated power consumption; a display device that displays the estimated operation time, electronic equipment.

2. the arithmetic circuit acquires the current remaining energy amount when the electronic device is operating on power from the storage battery; Calculating current power consumption based on the change over time of the current remaining power amount; updating the power table based on the current remaining power amount and the current power consumption; The electronic device of claim 1 .

3. the power table indicates a relationship between a plurality of sections of the remaining power amount that are different from each other and the power consumption corresponding to each section, the calculation circuit updates the power table with the current power consumption calculated when the current remaining energy falls within each of a plurality of different intervals of the remaining energy.

3. The electronic device of claim 2.

4. When the electronic device is operating on power from the storage battery, the arithmetic circuit Acquire the current remaining power amount; reading from the power table a power consumption corresponding to a remaining power amount equal to or less than the current remaining power amount; calculating an average value of the power consumption read from the power table as the estimated power consumption; An electronic device according to one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the storage device stores the power table for each user of the electronic device; the calculation circuit acquires identification information of a user who is using the electronic device, and calculates the estimated power consumption by referring to the power table corresponding to the identification information of the user; The electronic device of claim 1 .

6. the storage battery is configured to be detachable from the electronic device; the storage device stores the power table for each of the storage batteries; the arithmetic circuit acquires identification information of the storage battery attached to the electronic device, and calculates the estimated power consumption by referring to the power table corresponding to the identification information of the storage battery; The electronic device of claim 1 .

7. A method for controlling an electronic device that can operate using power from a storage battery, comprising: reading from a storage device a power table indicating a relationship between a plurality of predetermined values ​​of the remaining amount of power of the storage battery and power consumption of the electronic device when the electronic device is operating on power from the storage battery; Detecting a current remaining amount of power in the storage battery; In response to the electronic device operating on power from the storage battery, calculating an estimated power consumption of the electronic device by referring to the power table based on the current remaining power amount, and calculating an estimated operating time of the electronic device based on the estimated power consumption; displaying the estimated operation time on a display device. A method for controlling an electronic device.

8. 1. A program including instructions executed by an arithmetic circuit implemented in an electronic device operable with power from a storage battery, the instructions causing the arithmetic circuit to: reading from a storage device a power table indicating a relationship between a plurality of predetermined values ​​of the remaining amount of power of the storage battery and power consumption of the electronic device when the electronic device is operating on power from the storage battery; Detecting a current remaining amount of power in the storage battery; In response to the electronic device operating on power from the storage battery, calculating an estimated power consumption of the electronic device by referring to the power table based on the current remaining power amount, and calculating an estimated operating time of the electronic device based on the estimated power consumption; and displaying the estimated operation time on a display device. program.

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