WO2001054248A2

WO2001054248A2 - System and method accommodating more than one battery within an electronic device

Info

Publication number: WO2001054248A2
Application number: PCT/US2001/001751
Authority: WO
Inventors: Scott D. Beith; Jason G. Kenagy; Jenny Cheuk-Yan Ng; David J. Ross
Original assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Current assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Priority date: 2000-01-18
Filing date: 2001-01-18
Publication date: 2001-07-26
Anticipated expiration: 2002-07-18
Also published as: KR20020070322A; AU2001229623A1; WO2001054248A3; JP2003524362A; CN1394374A; EP1260010A2; JP2010035416A

Abstract

A system (10, 60) for facilitating the accommodation of two or more batteries (12, 14) in an electronic device (10). The system (10) includes a first mechanism (16, 18) that determines a charge status of a first battery (12) and a second battery (14) and provides a status signal in response thereto. A second mechanism (18, 32, 46) provides an indication of remaining battery life associated with the first battery (12) and/or the second battery (14) based on the status signal. In a specific embodiment, the system (10, 60) further includes a third mechanism (36) for selectively employing the first battery (12) or the second battery (14) as a power source for the electronic device (10) based on the status signal. The second mechanism (18, 32, 46) includes a mechanism (18, 32, 46) for issuing a first alert, via the display screen (32), when the first battery (12) is drained. Another mechanism (18, 32, 46) issues a second alert when the second battery (14) is drained or detached from the electronic device (10).

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD ACCOMMODATING MORE THAN ONE BATTERY WITHIN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of Invention:

This invention relates to battery life determination systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for determining remaining battery life in electronic devices capable of simultaneously accommodating two or more batteries and switching between batteries in response thereto.

Description of the Related Art:

Some new electronic devices, such as wireless phones, have both an internal phone battery and a detachable external battery to increase overall battery life and associated talk time. The use of two batteries rather than one larger battery may enhance device design flexibility and increase battery charging options.

Wireless phones and other electronic devices often include hardware and coπesponding software for measuring the charge status of an associated battery and providing an indication of remaining battery life in response thereto. Unfortunately, most existing hardware and software packages for indicating remaining battery life are designed for phones or other devices having only one battery.

Hence, a need exists in the art for a user-friendly system and method for accurately determining and indicating remaining battery life in electronic devices having more than one battery. There exists a further need for a user-friendly system and method that can efficiently accommodate more than one battery, selectively switching between the batteries as power sources in response to indications of remaining battery life. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The need in the art is addressed by the system for facilitating the accommodation of two or more batteries in an electronic device of the present invention. In the illustrative embodiment, the inventive system is adapted for use with a wireless phone and includes a first mechanism for determining a charge status of a first battery and a charge status of a second battery and providing a status signal in response thereto. A second mechanism provides an indication of remaining battery life associated with the first battery and/or the second battery based on the status signal.

In a specific embodiment, the system further includes a third mechanism for selectively switching between the first battery and the second battery as a power source for the electronic device based on the status signal. The electronic device is a wireless phone that includes a transceiver and a computer in communication with the transceiver. The wireless phone includes a display screen. The wireless phone further includes a housing that accommodates the wireless phone transceiver, the computer, the first battery, and the second battery.

In the illustrative embodiment, the second mechanism includes a mechanism for issuing a first alert when the first battery is drained. Another mechanism issues a second alert when the second battery is drained or detached from the electronic device. Another mechanism issues alerts when the first battery and/or the second battery are low, when the second battery is removed, and when the first battery and/or second battery are drained, as indicated by the status signal.

The novel design of the present invention is facilitated by third mechanism for selectively employing the first battery or the second battery as a power source for the electronic device. Selectively employing the first battery or the second battery as a power source based on the status signal enhances user options of associated electronic devices. For example wireless phones employing the system of the present invention can maintain a call while the first or second battery is changed, thereby reducing incidences of dropped calls. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of software running on the phone computer of Fig. 1 for providing an indication of remaining battery life of the internal battery and the external battery based on a measured charge status of the internal and external batteries, respectively, as provided by the battery life determination system of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of various battery displays displayed on the display screen of the wireless phone of Fig. 1 in accordance with the software of Fig. 2 when no external charging source is attached to the wireless phone.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of various battery displays displayed on the display screen of the wireless phone of Fig. 1 in accordance with the software of Fig. 2 when an external charging source is attached to the wireless phone.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of various battery alert displays implemented via the display screen of the wireless phone of Fig. 1 in accordance with the software of Fig. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.

Fig. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a wireless phone 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention and including a housing 11, an internal battery 12, an external battery 14, a battery life determination system 16, and a phone computer 18. For clarity, additional circuitry such as clocking circuitry and additional power lines are not shown in the wireless phone 10, but those ordinarily skilled in the art will know where and how to include the requisite additional circuitry.

The wireless phone 10 further includes an antenna 20 that is connected to a duplexer 22. The duplexer 22 is connected to a transceiver 24. which is connected to the computer 18. The computer 18 is connected to a data interface adapter 26, voice- encoding/decoding circuitry 28, a keypad 30, a display screen 32, the battery life determination system 16, a power switch 36, and an external battery compartment 38 that accommodates the external battery 14, thereby connecting the external battery 14 to the computer 18. The internal battery 12 is connected to an output of an external charge source adapter 40, which is also connected to the computer 18 and the external battery compartment 38. The internal battery 12 is also connected to an input of a the battery life determination system 16, another input of which is connected to the external battery 14 via the external battery compartment 38.

Battery status outputs of the battery life determination system 16 are connected to inputs of the computer 18. An input of the power switch 36 is connected to a control output 37 of the computer 18. A display control output 39 of the computer 18 is connected to the display screen 32. The control outputs 37 and 39 carry battery status signals that contain information pertaining to a charge status of the first battery 12 and/or the second battery 14. The charge status information may be in the form of control signals, battery life display signals, and so on.

First, second, and third inputs of the power switch 36 are connected to outputs of the internal battery 12, the external battery 14, and the charge source adapter output 50, respectively. A power switch output 48 of the power switch 36 is connected to the speaker 60, the transceiver 24, the display screen 32, the keypad 30, the computer 18, the microphone 44, and the voice-encoding/decoding circuitry 28, and generally provides power delivery to the wireless phone 10. The voice-encoding/decoding circuitry 28 is also connected to a microphone 44 and a speaker 46.

In operation, the battery life determination system 16 measures voltage levels associated with the internal battery 12 and external battery 14 and compares the voltage levels to predetermined battery voltage discharge curves associated with each battery 12 and 14 to generate an indication of relative remaining battery life of each battery 12 and 14. As is known in the art, a battery voltage discharge curve is a curve depicting battery voltage as a function of time given a predetermined discharge rate, i.e., battery cuπent draw. The battery life determination system 16 accounts for an average shape of the discharge curve of a new battery and maps voltage values from the average discharge curve into 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 generating indications of remaining battery life for the batteries 12 and 14. A battery life determination system employing measurements of internal resistance to provide an accurate indication of relative remaining battery life is disclosed in co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 09/298,761, filed April 23, 1999, by J. Pritchard, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACCURATELY DETERMINING REMAINING BATTERY LIFE, (Atty. Docket No. PA990094), assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.

The battery life determination system 16 provides battery status information to the computer 18 for use by unique software of the present invention running on the computer 18, as discussed more fully below. The battery life determination system 16 provides status values for the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 that indicate the state of the batteries 12 and 14. For example, if the internal battery 12 is not present or has no charge, the battery life determination system 16 indicates that the first battery 12 is either not present or has no charge and also indicates the status of the external battery 14. Similarly, if the external battery 14 is not present or has no charge, the battery life determination system 16 indicates that the external battery 14 is either not present or has no charge and also indicates the status of the internal battery 12 via battery status values, which coπespond to indications of relative remaining battery life. These battery status values are provided to the computer 18, which runs software to interpret the battery status values and to provide appropriate battery life messages and alerts to a user of the wireless phone 10 in response thereto.

The unique software of the present invention running on the computer 18 also controls the power switch 36 via a control input to the power switch 36. The power switch acts as a 3-to-l demultiplexer (DEMUX) that selectively switches a power input from the internal battery 12, the external battery 14, and the external charge source adapter output 50 onto an output power line 48 that directs cuπent to the wireless phone 10. As discussed more fully below, the unique software of the present invention selectively controls whether an external charge source (not shown), the internal battery 12. or the external battery 14 provides power to the wireless phone 10 based on battery status information pertaining to both batteries 12 and 14 and based on a external charge signal 50 provided to the computer 18 from the external charge source adapter 40. The battery status information is provided to the computer 18 via the battery life determination system 16.

If the external battery 14 is not present or has insufficient charge to support a call; the internal battery 12 has sufficient charge to support a call; and the external charge signal 50 is low, i.e., an external charge source is not connected to the external charge source adapter 40, then software running on the computer 18 switches the output of the internal battery 12 onto the output power line 48 via the power switch 36. If the external battery 14 has sufficient charge to support a call; the internal battery 12 is not present or has insufficient charge to support a call; and the external charge signal 50 is low, then software running on the computer 18 switches the output of the external battery 14 onto the output power line 48. If both the external battery 14 and the internal battery 12 have sufficient charge to support a call, and the external charge signal 50 is low, then software mnning on the computer 18 switches the output of the external battery 14 onto the output power line 48. If both the external battery 14 and the internal battery 12 have sufficient charge to support a call, and the external charge signal 50 is low, then software mnning on the computer 18 switches the output of the external battery 14 onto the output power line 48. If the external charge signal 50 is low and the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 have insufficient charge to support a call, then the wireless phone 10 remains off. If in either of the above four situations the an external charge source is connected to the external charge source adapter 40 causing the external charge signal 50 to be high, then external charge signal 50 is switched onto the output power line 48 via the software mnning on the computer 18 and the power switch 36. In addition, the external charge signal 50 provides charging cuπent to internal battery 12 and external battery 14 as required, and the charge status of the batteries 12 and/or 14 as output via the battery life determination system 16 to the computer 18 is displayed via the display screen 32 and software mnning on the computer 18. The unique software of the present invention manipulates the charge status information provided via the battery life determination system 16 to generate user- friendly displays via the display screen 32. The user friendly displays are selectively controlled via user- input from the keypad 30. To facilitate wireless communications via the wireless phone 10, the antenna 20 transmits and receives signals via the duplexer 22. The duplexer 22 facilitates sharing of resources of the antenna 20 between transmit and receive functions. The transceiver 24 includes transmit circuitry for transmitting signals such as encoded voice signals or service negotiation signals via the antenna 20 and duplexer 22. The transceiver 24 also includes receive circuitry for receiving signals such as service negotiation messages or encoded voice signals via another phone, base station, or mobile switching center (not shown). The transceiver 24 also includes downconversion circuitry required to convert receive signals to digital baseband signals in preparation for processing via the computer 18. In addition, the transceiver 24 includes upconversion circuitry required to convert transmit signals from digital baseband signals to radio frequency signals in preparation for transmission via the antenna 20.

A user may initiate a call by dialing a number via the keypad 30. The computer 18 negotiates a service connection with an available wireless service provider via the transceiver 24, the duplexer 22. and the antenna 20. When service is established, the user's voice is input to the microphone 44, encoded by the voice-encoding/decoding circuitry 28 and transmitted via the computer 18, transceiver 24, duplexer 22, and the antenna 20. Similarly, received voice messages are decoded by the voice- encoding/decoding circuitry 28 and as voice via the speaker ^6. The data interface adapter 20 allows software running on the computer 18 to be upgraded and/or changed.

The unique software of the present invention, as discussed more fully below, improves the functionality of the wireless phone 10 by facilitating the accommodation of more than one battery and providing a user friendly user interface for providing a user with accurate information pertaining to the accommodated batteries. For example, by effectively accommodating more than one battery via the present invention and providing battery status information to the user via unique displays of the present invention discussed more fully below, a user may more easily replace the external battery 14 without dropping a call. The unique software of the present invention mnning on the computer 18 may be adjusted to accommodate more than two batteries without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of software 60 mnning on the phone computer 18 of Fig. 1 for providing an indication of remaining battery life of the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 based on a measured charge status of the internal and external batteries 12 and 14, respectively, as provided by the battery life determination system 16 of Fig. 1.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, when a user of the wireless phone 10 access a battery menu or a battery display via a predetermined command or sequence of commands, control is passed to an initial connection-determination mechanism 62. In the initial connection-determination mechanism 62, the software 60 determines if only the external battery 14 is connected, if only the internal battery 12 is connected, if both the internal battery 12 and external battery 14 are connected to the wireless phone 10, and if an extemal charge source (not shown) is connected via the external charge source adapter 40. This determination is made based on the status outputs from the battery life determination system 16. A battery is considered not connected if the output line associated with the battery provides no charge, i.e., zero volts. If an external charging source is connected to the wireless phone 10, then a display title "*CHARGING*" or "CHARGE DONE" is added to each display and the title "BATTERY" is removed from each display screen implemented below and discussed more fully below. If no batteries are connected, then an external charge source is connected, and accessing the battery menu (not shown) will indicate that neither the external nor external batteries are connected. If only the external battery 14 is connected, then control is passed to a first status-retrieval mechanism 64. The first retrieval mechanism 64 accesses the status of the external battery 14 from the battery life determination system 16. The status is converted to a graphical format that may be displayed via a battery icon, battery gauge, a message, an alert, or a combination thereof as discussed more fully below. Subsequently, control is passed to a no internal battery mechanism 66. The no internal battery mechanism 66 displays, on the display screen 32, a message indicating that no internal battery is attached, such as "No Internal Battery", if no external charge source is applied. Subsequently, the software 60 displays a message indicating that the external battery 14 is in use, such as "*Ext", and displays a battery gauge and battery icon associated with the external battery 14 as discussed more fully below. Subsequently, control is passed to an exit command checking mechanism 68.

The exit command checking mechanism 68 determines if a quit or a power-off command has been issued as a result of the user pressing a power-off button on the keypad 30, as a result of an automatic shut-down due to insufficient power from the batteries 12 or 14 or from an external charge source, or as a result of a "QUIT"

command having been entered by the user. If a quit or power-off command has been issued, then control is passed to a battery icon displaying mechanism 108. which displays the battery charge status of the batteries 12 and 14 connected to the wireless phone 10 and the software 60 exits. Otherwise, control is passed to a charging source checking mechanism 70.

In the charging source checking mechanism 70, the software 60 determines if an external charge source is attached to the external charge source adapter 40 via the external charge signal 50 from the adapter 40 to the computer 18. If an external charging source is connected to the wireless phone 10, then control is passed to a message-clearing mechanism 72.

In the message clearing mechanism 72, if the external charge source was just plugged in, i.e., was plugged since the last time the message clearing mechanism 72 was completed, as indicated via an updated software variable (not shown), then battery messages and alerts are cleared from the memory (not shown) of the computer 18. The message clearing mechanism 72 also initiates the display of a dynamic battery icon, which as discussed more fully below, dynamically indicates the cuπent charge status of both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14, but not at the same time. Attached batteries then begin to charge, and the coπesponding battery displays maintain the title "CHARGING" until the batteries are finished charging, at which time the title changes to "CHARGE DONE". When charging, the internal battery 12 is first briefly charged, and subsequently the external battery 14 is briefly charged. Next the internal battery 12 is fully charged and subsequently the external battery 14 is fully charged if not already fully charged. During the above charge sequence, the dynamic battery icon displays the status of the battery being charged or otherwise displays the charge status of the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 in accordance with other mechanisms implemented via the software 60. The switching between the charging of the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 may be implemented via another power switch (not shown) between the external charge source adapter 40 and the internal battery 12 and external battery 14 by one ordinarily skilled in the art. Subsequently, control is passed back to the initial connection-determination mechanism 62.

If the charging source checking mechanism 70 determines that an external charging source is not applied, then control is passed to a maintenance mechanism 74. where previously stored battery messages and alerts are stored and coπesponding displays are stored in a memory of the computer 18. Subsequently, control is passed back to the initial connection-determination mechanism 62.

If the initial connection-determination mechanism 62 determines that both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 are connected to the wireless phone 10, then control is passed to a second status-retrieval mechanism 76. In the second status- retrieval mechanism 76, the software 60 retrieves indications of remaining battery life for both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14. If both batteries 12 and 14 have expired, such that they cannot provide sufficient power to support a call, then control is passed to an expiration mechanism 78.

In the expiration mechanism 78, the software 60 displays a message, if no external charge source is present, informing the user that the batteries have expired via a message such as "Battery Expired" and generates a power-off command after displaying a message indicating that the phone 10 is turning off, such as "Turning Off or displays a screen entitled "BATTERY" with the message "Int EXPIRED, Ext EXPIRED".

If an external charge source is connected to the wireless phone 10, chen the expiration mechanism 78 displays a message indicating that both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 have expired and that they are cuπently being charged, such as "*CHARGING* Int Expired Ext Expired". Control is subsequently passed to the exit command checking mechanism 68, where the method completes if both batteries 12 and 14 have expired and no external charging source is attached to the wireless phone 10.

If only the external battery 14 has expired and the internal battery 12 has sufficient charge to be not be considered low or expired, as determined by the second status-retrieval mechanism 76, then control is passed to an external battery expiration mechanism 80 where the software 60 generates a control signal to the power switch 36 causing the phone 10 to switch to the internal battery 12 if not already providing power to the wireless phone 10. In addition, the external battery expiration mechanism 80 activates an alert such as an audible tone and/or a flashing message indicating that the external battery 14 has expired. Once the user presses a key on the keypad 30 such as an "OK" button, control is passed to an internal/external battery display mechanism 82.

The internal/external battery display mechanism 82 indicates whether the internal battery 12 or the external battery 14 is cuπently in use and shows an indication of the remaining battery of each battery 12 and 14 via a display implemented via the display screen 32 that contains messages, such as "*Int", where the "*'^" indicates that the internal battery 12 is in use. The display also contains battery gauges for each battery 12 and 14 and a battery icon that also indicates the status of the battery cuπently in use, as discussed more fully below. If one of the battery 12 or 14 has expired, then the software 60 indicates, after an appropriate alert, that the particular battery has expired and indicates, via a gauge, battery icon, and/or a text message that the battery has expired. Subsequently, after the user issues a quit softkey command, control is passed to the exit command checking mechanism 68.

If in the second status-retrieval mechanism 76, the software 60 determines that only the external battery 14 has expired and the internal battery 12 is charged, then control is passed to an internal battery expiration mechanism 84 where an appropriate alert is displayed, such as "Int Battery Expired". Once the user presses a key such as " OK" on the keypad 30, then control is passed to the internal/external battery display mechanism 82. if in the second status -retrieval mechanism 76, the software 60 determines that only the internal battery 12 is low and the external batteiy 14 is charged, then control is passed to an internal battery low mechanism 86 where an appropriate alert is displayed, such as "Int Battery Low". Once the user presses a key such as "OK" on the keypad 30, then control is passed to the internal/external battery display mechanism 82. If in the second status-retrieval mechanism 76, the software 60 determines that only the external battery 14 is low and the intemal battery 12 is charged, then control is passed to an external battery low mechanism 88 where an appropriate alert is displayed, such as "Ext Battery Low". Once the user presses a key such as "OK" on the keypad 30, then control is passed to the internal/external battery display mechanism 82. If in the second status-retrieval mechanism 76, the software 60 determines that both the external battery 14 and the internal battery 12 are low, then control is passed to an battery low mechanism 90 where an appropriate alert is displayed, such as "Ext Battery Low, Int Battery Low". Once the user presses a key such as "OK" on the keypad 30, then control is passed to the internal/external battery display mechanism 82. If in the second status-retrieval mechanism 76, the software 60 determines that the external battery 14 is low, and the internal battery 12 has expired, then control is passed to a first low/expired mechanism 92 where an appropriate alert is displayed, such as "Ext Battery Low Int Battery Expired". Once the user presses a key such as "OK" on the keypad 30, then control is passed to the internal/external battery display mechanism 82.

If in the second status-retrieval mechanism 76, the software 60 determines that the internal battery 12 is low, and the external battery 14 has expired, then control is passed to a second low/expired mechanism 94 where an appropriate alert is displayed, such as "Ext Battery Expired Int Battery Low". Once the user presses a key such as "OK" on the keypad 30, then control is passed to the internal/external battery display mechanism 82.

If in the second status-retrieval mechanism 76, the software 60 determines that the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 are charged, such that neither external nor internal batteries are expired or low, then control is passed the internal/external battery display mechanism 82.

If the initial connection-determination mechanism 62 determines that only the internal battery 12 is connected to the wireless phone 10, then control is passed to a third status-retrieval mechanism 96. In the third status-retrieval mechanism 96, an indication of the remaining battery life of the internal battery 12 is obtained via the battery life determination system 16. If the external battery 14 was just disconnected, i.e., the third status-retrieval mechanism 96 is being completed for the first time since the second status-retrieval mechanism 76 was completed as indicated via a software tracking variable, then control is the software 60 displays a message indicating that the phone 10 is switching to using the internal battery 12 as a power supply for the wireless phone 10 in a switching display mechanism 98. In the switching display mechanism 98, the software 60 displays a message such as "Now Using Int Battery". The message is displayed for a predetermined time period, such as four seconds, or until a key on the keypad 30 is pressed by the user.

Once 4 seconds has elapsed or the user presses a key on the keypad 30, whichever occurs earlier, control is passed to a no internal display mechanism 100, wherein the software 60 displays a message indicating that no external battery is present an also indicates the remaining battery life of the internal battery 12 via a battery gauge and/or a battery icon. Subsequently, control is passed to an external battery checking mechanism 102, where the software 60 determines if the external battery 14 was just attached. If the external battery was not just attached, then control is passed to the exit command checking mechanism 68. Otherwise, control is passed to an external charge status mechanism 104, where the software 60 determines if the charge status of the newly attached external battery 14 is low or charged. If the external battery 14 is not low or charged, then control is passed to the exit command checking mechanism 68. Otherwise, control is passed to a using external display mechanism 106. The using external display mechanism 106 displays a message indicating that the phone 10 is now switching to using the newly provided external battery 14 as a power source, such as "Now using external battery". The message is displayed for 10 seconds or until a key on the keypad 30 is pressed, whichever occurs sooner. Subsequently, control is passed to the exit command checking mechanism 68. In the present embodiment, the alerts implemented in the mechanisms 66, 98,

106, 78, 80, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, and 94 are accompanied by audible beeps and/or flashing messages, however other types of alerts, may be implemented instead without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, in the present embodiment, a low battery is defined as a battery having approximately 5 minutes (+/- 3 minutes) of remaining talk πme. however other times may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of various battery displays 110 displayed on the liquid crystal display screen (LCD) 32 of the wireless phone 10 of Fig. 1 in accordance with the software 60 of Fig. 2 when no external charging source is attached to the wireless phone 10.

With reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a first battery display 112 has the title "BATTERY" and informs the user that both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 has expired via the message "Int EXPIRED Ext EXPIRED". In addition, a battery icon 114 is shown, which indicates the cuπent charge status of the batteries 12 and 14, which in this case is empty. The first battery display 112 is implemented in expiration mechanism 78 and/or 82 of Fig. 2. In the first battery display 112, the battery icon 1 14 blinks to indicate that no charge is present. If 4-7% of the charge of one of the batteries 12 and 14 remains, then the battery icon 1 14 does not flash but remains not filled by indicator bars as discussed more fully below. A "QUIT" softkey 122 is shown, indicating that the user may enter a predetermined key or sequence of keys to exit. An envelope icon 128 indicates that an SMS (short message service) message is available.

A second battery display 116, also entitled "BATTERY", indicates that the internal battery 12 is not in use by displaying term "Int" without an accompanying "*" character and indicates that the external battery 14 is in use by displaying term "*Ext". An internal battery gauge 1 18 is displayed adjacent to the term "Int" and indicates the remaining battery life or charge level of the internal battery 12. Similarly, the external battery gauge 120 is displayed adjacent the term "*Ext" and indicates the remaining battery life or charge level of the external battery 14. The battery icon 1 14 indicates the charge status of the active battery, which is the external battery 14. One indicator bar of the battery icon 114 is present, indicating that the external battery 14 is 7-15% charged. The second battery display 110 is implemented in the internal/external battery display mechanism 82 of Fig. 2. In a third battery display 124, the battery icon 114 has two indicator bars illuminated, suggesting that the external battery is 15-40% charged. If a "*" symbol were placed in front of the term "Int", then the battery icon 114 would indicate the remaining battery life of the internal battery 12. The external battery gauge 120 is consistent with the battery icon 114. The third battery display 124 is implemented in the internal/external battery display mechanism 82 of Fig. 2.

In a fourth battery display 126, the battery icon 114 has three indicator bars illuminated, indicating that the external battery 14 is 40-65%) charged. The external battery gauge 120 is consistent with the battery icon 114. Similarly, in a fifth battery display 128, the battery icon has 4 bars illuminated, suggesting that the external battery 14 is 65-100%) charged. The external battery gauge 120 is consistent with the battery icon 114.

The displays 110 of Fig. 3 apply when the phone 10 is detached from an external charge source. To view the battery displays 110, a user accesses a battery menu (not shown) via a predetermined sequence of user input. When the wireless phone 10 is not attached to an external charge source, the display indicates which battery is being used by displaying either "Int" or "Ext" with a "*" character prepended. For example, in every display 110 of Fig. 3, except display 112, the external battery 14 is in use since it has a charge. If the external battery 14 has expired, then the "Int" text is displayed with the "*" character. The "QUIT" key returns the wireless pone 10 to a standby state. The battery icon 114 reflects the status of the active battery.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of various battery charging displays 140 displayed on the display screen 32 of the wireless phone of Fig. 1 in accordance with the software of Fig. 2 when an external charging source is attached to the wireless phone. The displays include a first charging display 142. a second charging display 144, a third charging display mechanism 146, a fourth charging display mechanism 148, and a fifth charging display mechanism 150. The charging displays 140 are similar to the battery displays 110 of Fig. 3 with the exception that in the first four displays 142, 144. 146, and 148, the title "BATTERY" is changed to "*CHARGING", and in the fifth charging display 150, the title "BATTERY" is replaced with the title "CHARGE DONE". The displays 140 are implemented in mechanisms 78 and/or 82 of Fig. 2. The charging indication, i.e., "*CHARGING*", is displayed on the display screen 32 whether the wireless phone 10 is on or in low power mode (off). The unique software 60 causes the speaker 46 wireless phone 10 to emit a tone that increases in intensity when attached to an external charge source. The software 60 also causes the speaker 46 to emit a tone of decreasing intensity upon removal from an external charge source.

If the wireless phone 10 is on and in a standby mode or state and is connected to an extemal charging source, the battery icon 114' is dynamic and indicates the a charging state for both batteries, i.e., indicates whether the a given battery is charging or not charging. In the present specific embodiment, the batteries 12 and 14 are not charged at the same time.

When the phone 10 is charging, the battery icon 114' fills incrementally at predetermined time intervals, such as 320 millisecond intervals, which are application- specific and easily determined by those ordinarily skilled in the art to meet the needs of a given application. If the phone 10 is in a slotted sleep state, then the phone 10 behaves as described above or otherwise determines the slotted sleep cycle and updates the animated battery icon 114' at a coπesponding rate. A sleep state is a state wherein the phone is ON but not monitoring the paging channel. When the phone is in a sleep state, it is saving energy and cannot receive calls.

The process cycles until the internal battery 12 and/or the external battery 14 are fully charged depending on whether or not the internal battery 12 and/or the external battery 14 are connected to the wireless phone 10, respectively. A banner, time, and date, are also displayed if available. A feedback tone sounds from the speaker 46 (if a beep function (keybeep) is activated) whenever the phone 10 is connected to or disconnected from an external charge source. If the phone 10 is attached to an external charge source, except HFK (Hands-Free Car Kit) devices wherein a backlight (not shown) of the display screen 32 continually illuminated, the duration of backlighting of the display screen 32 adheres to user settings stored in computer memory via software mnning on the computer 18.

If the phone 10 is in is in low-power mode, then the gauges of Fig. 4 are displayed to indicate, independently, the levels of the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 (if attached). Distinctive feedback tones sound from the speaker 46 whenever the wireless phone 10 is attached to or detached from an external charge source. If the external battery 14 is not attached to the wireless phone 10, then only the "Int" gauge is displayed. If the phone 10 is on, the displays 140 are accessible and visible from the battery menu (discussed more fully above), which may be accessed via predetermined user input. When the phone 10 is on an not attached to an external charge source, then the '"-CHARGING*" title is changed to "BATTERY", and a QUIT softkey is available. The dynamic battery icon 114' is displayed only when the phone 10 is attached to an external charge source. The display screen 32 is not back-lit if the phone 10 is in low power mode.

The dynamic battery icon 114' becomes static and indicates a full charge when the battery or batteries 12 or 14 are fully charged, whether or not the phone 10 is in low- power mode (also known as off mode) or is on. If the phone 10 does not have the internal battery 12 or the external battery 14 but is connected to an external charge source (except an AC adapter) the phone 10 fast charges the internal battery 12 then fast charges the external battery 14, then finishes charging the internal battery 12 and subsequently finishes charging the external battery 14. A fast charge is a process wherein a battery is initially charged for a predetermined period of time, which is application-specific and depends on the battery charge curve. Generally, a quick charge charges a battery to a point at which the battery charge curve begins to level off, however, other charging times may be employed to implement the quick charge without departing from the scope of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of various battery alert displays

160 implemented via the LCD 132 of the wireless phone 10 of Fig. 1 in accordance with the software 60 of Fig. 2. The alert displays include a first alert display 162, a second alert display 164, a third alert display 166, a fourth alert display 168, a fifth alert display 170, a sixth alert display 172, a seventh alert display 174, and an eighth alert display 176. The alert displays 160 typically last for 4 seconds or until an "OK" softkey is activated via the user, whichever occurs sooner. The "OK" softkey is activated by the user pressing the "OK" button on the keypad 30 of Fig. 1. With reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 5, in the first alert display 162, the message

'^■INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL BATTERY LOW" is displayed. The first alert display 162 is implemented in the battery low mechanism 90 of Fig. 2. The battery icon 114 will typically flash or blink when both batteries 12 and 114 are low.

In the second alert display 164, the message "INTERNAL BATTERY LOW" is displayed. The second alert display 164 is implemented in the internal battery low mechanism 86 of Fig. 2. The batter icon 114 typically flashes or blinks when referring to the low internal battery 12.

In the third alert display 166, the message "EXTERNAL BATTERY LOW" is displayed. The third alert display 166 is implemented in the external battery low mechanism 88 of Fig. 2. The batter icon 114 typically flashes or blinks when referring to the low external battery 12.

In the fourth alert display 168. the message "EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED INTERNAL LOW" is displayed. The fourth alert display 168 is implemented in the second low/expired mechanism 94 of Fig. 2. No battery icon is present in the fourth alert display 168.

In the fifth alert display 170, the message "EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED INTERNAL LOW" is displayed. The fifth alert display 170 is implemented in the first low/expired mechanism 92 of Fig. 2. The battery icon 114 typically flashes in the fifth alert display 170. In sixth alert display 172, the message "EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED" is displayed. Sixth alert display 172 is implemented in the external battery expiration mechanism 80 of Fig. 2. No battery icon is present in sixth alert display 172.

In seventh alert display 174, the message "Now Using Internal Battery" is displayed. Seventh alert display 174 is implemented in the switching display mechanism 98 of Fig. 2. No battery icon is present in seventh alert display 174.

In eighth alert display 176, the message "BATTERY EXPIRED Phone Turning Off is displayed. Eighth alert display 176 is implemented in the expiration mechanism 78 of Fig. 2. No battery icon is present in eighth alert display 176. Hence, the software 60 running on the computer 18 monitors and provides charge information for both batteries 12 and 14. When the phone 10 is on and not charging, the battery icon 1 14 indicates the charge level of either the external battery 14 or the internal battery 12, but not at the same time. When the external battery 14 is not attached, the battery icon 114 indicates the charge level of the internal battery 12. When the external battery 114 is attached, the message "Now Using External Battery" is displayed for 10 seconds or clears upon any key press. The battery icon 1 14 then updates to reflect only the charge level of the external battery 14. When the charge of the external battery 14 is depleted, an alert is displayed, and after user confirmation, the battery icon 1 14 reflects the charge level of the internal battery 12. When the external battery 14 is disconnected, the display screen 32 provides a notification message, such as "Now using Internal Battery" for four seconds or clears upon any key press. The battery icon 114 is changed to reflect the charge level of the internal battery 12.

Each alert message (see displays 160 and mechanisms 98, 106, 78, 80, and 84 through 94 of Fig. 2) is accompanied by a single beep and requires user confirmation or that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed. An applicable alert is displayed when the phone 10 is turned on, at he point of detection during use, and after removal from an external charge source. The low battery alerts (see displays 162 through 170 and mechanisms 86 through 94 of Fig. 2) occur when the phone 10 has 5 minutes +/- 3 minutes of talk time remaining. The expired battery alerts (see displays 168, 170, 172, and 176 and mechanisms 78, 80, and 84 of Fig. 2) occur when one or more of the batteries 12 and 14 can no longer provide sufficient power to the wireless phone 10 to support a call.

When the external battery 14 expires, the phone 10 immediately pulls power from the internal battery 12, however, the alert message is not accompanied by the battery icon 114. After user confirmation and after the "Now Using Internal Battery" message is displayed, the battery icon 114 updates to reflect the status of the internal battery 14.

If the battery expired alerts (see displays 168, 170, 172, and 176 and mechanisms 78, 80, and 84 of Fig. 2) progress without a user "OK" response, then the alert changes to reflect the most cuπent battery charge state(s) (see mechanism 82 of Fig. 2). Only one press of "OK" is required to clear an alert message. Redundant alert messages typically do not occur during execution of the software 60 unless the phone 10 is attached to an external charge source and subsequently removed while the software 60 of Fig. 2 is mnning or unless the phone 10 is turned off and then back on. Every time the phone 10 is attached to an external charge source, the record of past alerts is deleted. For example, if the phone 10 is attached to an external charge source after a low internal battery alert has occuπed and is removed before the charge of the internal battery 12 changes, then the "Internal

Battery Low" alert (see mechanism 86 of Fig. 2) displays again. Alerts are re-displayed upon every power-up. If a change involving the external battery 14 effects the charge status of the external battery 14, then an appropriate alert is displayed. For example, if the message

"External Expired Internal Low" (see mechanism 94 of Fig. 2) is displayed and an external battery swap occurs, then a new message is not repeated to reflect the internal battery state (low) unless the newly attached external battery has a new power deficiency, in which case the appropriate alert, including the external battery status

(low") is displayed.

When the battery is completely discharged, the coπesponding alert is not accompanied by the battery icon 114. This applies to the alerts "EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED" and "BATTERY EXPIRED". The alert, "EXTERNAL BATTERY EXPIRED INTERNAL LOW", adheres to the above mle only when the alert is caused by the discharge of the external battery 14. The battery icon 114 remains displayed if the alert is responding only to the charge level of the internal battery 12 (which is low in the present example).

The low battery alerts (see displays 162 through 170 and mechanisms 86 through 94 of Fig. 2) override a "Missed Call" display (not shown). After the low battery warning is acknowledged, the "Missed Call" notification is displayed.

In the cases where the various displays (see 110 of Fig. 3, 140 of Fig. 4, and 160 of Fig. 5) have time-out counters, such as in call drop and call fail displays, the appropriate messages associated with the call drop or call fail displays are displayed, and then the display screen 32 of Fig. 1 times out to the low battery alert.

The battery low alerts (see displays 162 through 170 and mechanisms 86 through 94 of Fig. 2) override short message service (SMS) notifications. If a low battery alert is displayed when an incoming SMS alert arrives, then the SMS message is displayed for 4 seconds followed by the low battery alert. If any key is pressed during the 4 seconds, the low battery alert is displayed. The envelope icon 128 is displayed to indicate a received SMS message.

If the internal battery 12 or both the internal battery 12 and the external battery 14 cannot support a call, then a warning is displayed before the phone 10 powers off. (see display 176 of Fig. 5 and mechanism 78 of Fig. 2). If the user is in a call, the low battery warning and coπesponding tone alert the user every minute.

Thus, the present invention has been described herein with reference to a particular embodiment for a particular application. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the present teachings will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof.

It is therefore intended by the appended claims to cover any and all such applications, modifications and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

Claims

1. A system (10, 60) for facilitating the accommodation of two or more batteries (12. 1 ) in an electronic device (10) characterized by: first mechanism (18, 60) for determining a charge status of a first battery (12) and a second battery (14) and providing a status signal in response thereto and second mechanism (18, 60, 32, 46) for providing an indication of remaining battery life associated with the first battery (12) and/or the second battery (14) based on the status signal.

2. The system of Claim 1 further including third mechanism for selectively switching between the first battery (12) and the second battery (14) as a power source for the electronic device (10) based on the status signal.

The system of Claim 1 wherein the electronic device (10) is a wireless phone

10;.

4. The system of Claim 3 wherein the wireless phone (10) includes a wireless phone transceiver (24); a computer (18) in communication with the transceiver (24), a display screen (32), a wireless phone housing (11) that accommodates the computer (18), the first battery (12), and the second battery (14).

5. The system of Claim 1 wherein the second mechanism (18, 60, 32, 46) includes mechanism (18, 60, 32, 46) for issuing a first alert (78, 84, 92, 100, 170, 176) when the first battery (12) is drained.

6. The system of Claim 5 wherein the second mechanism (18, 60, 32, 46) further includes mechanism (18, 60, 32, 46) for issuing a second alert (66, 78, 80, 94,

168, 172, 176) when the second battery (14) is drained or detached from the electronic device (10).

7. The system of Claim 6 wherein the second mechanism (18, 60, 32) further includes mechanism (18, 60, 32, 46) for issuing alerts (110, 140, 160) when the first battery ( 12) and/or the second battery (14) are low, when the first battery (12) and/or the second battery (14) are removed, and when the first battery (12) and, or second battery (14) are drained, as indicated by the status signal.