Abstract: A battery status detection device for detecting the status of a secondary battery 200 supplying power to a mobile device 300 includes a voltage detection unit 20 detecting voltages of the secondary battery 200; a current detection unit 30 detecting charge/discharge currents of the secondary battery 200; an arithmetic processing unit 50 calculating an internal resistance value of the secondary battery 200 based on a voltage difference between the voltages detected by the voltage detection unit 20 before and after the start of charging the secondary battery 200 and a current difference between the charge/discharge currents detected by the current detection unit 30 before and after the start of charging the secondary battery 200 and determining whether the secondary battery 200 is degraded based on the calculated internal resistance value; and a communication processing unit 70 outputting a signal indicating the determination result of the arithmetic processing unit 50.

Abstract: In a battery pack including a battery unit containing a plurality of secondary batteries, an occurrence of an internal short-circuit in the battery unit is detected based on a difference between a first voltage of the battery unit detected at a time a current flowing in the battery unit is below a predetermined current value and a second voltage of the battery unit detected at a time after a predetermined period has elapsed while the current flowing in the battery unit is below the predetermined current value.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mobile phone terminal with a battery pack containing a retraceable battery as power supply, and transmitting and receiving radio-signals to and from a mobile phone system base transceiver station. The mobile phone terminal includes a data communication terminal communicating data with the battery pack, an intermittent receiving processor periodically carrying out intermittent receiving processing via the base transceiver station when the mobile phone terminal is in a standby operation, and a battery status determining unit transmitting, while the intermittent receiving processor is carrying out intermittent receiving processing, an activating signal to the battery pack via the data communication terminal and reading battery status data from the activated battery pack.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mobile terminal incorporating a battery pack utilized as power supply. The mobile terminal includes a positive terminal connected to a battery pack positive electrode, a negative terminal connected to a battery pack negative electrode, a data communication terminal communicating with a circuit in the battery pack, a charge control unit controlling charging of the battery pack via the positive terminal, and a reference voltage output unit outputting reference voltage. The terminal further includes a dividing resistor and a thermistor connected in series between the reference voltage output unit and the negative terminal, a temperature detector detecting temperature, and stopping charging of the battery pack based on the detected temperature, and a switching device controlling the voltage at the predetermined portion.

Abstract: A battery status detecting method for detecting a battery status of a secondary battery that supplies power to an electrical load is disclosed. This method includes measuring a discharge current value of the secondary battery, and estimating the dischargeable capacity or the dischargeable time of the secondary battery with the measured discharge current value based on discharge characteristics of the secondary battery indicating the discharge status of the secondary battery when the voltage of the secondary battery drops to a predetermined voltage specified by the electrical load.

Abstract: A battery status detecting method for detecting a battery status of a secondary battery is disclosed. The method includes: an open circuit voltage correcting step of obtaining a temperature-corrected value of the open circuit voltage of the secondary battery according to the temperature of the secondary battery, based on first open circuit voltage characteristics indicating the relationship between the open circuit voltage and the temperature of the secondary battery; and a charge rate correcting step of obtaining a temperature-corrected value of the charge rate of the secondary battery according to the temperature-corrected value of the open circuit voltage obtained in the open circuit voltage correcting step, based on second open circuit voltage characteristics indicating the relationship between the open circuit voltage and the charge rate of the secondary battery.

Abstract: A communication system including a master station communication device and multiple slave station communication devices is disclosed. The master station communication device transmits a transmission request simultaneously to the slave station communication devices. The transmission request includes identification information identifying one or more of the slave station communication devices that are authorized to transmit information and time information indicating duration of time for which the one or more of the slave station communication devices are authorized to transmit the information. The one or more of the slave station communication devices transmit the information to the master station communication device based on the transmission request transmitted from the master station communication device.

Abstract: A communication system including a master station communication device and multiple slave station communication devices is disclosed. The master station communication device transmits a transmission request simultaneously to the slave station communication devices. The transmission request includes identification information identifying one or more of the slave station communication devices that are authorized to transmit information and time information indicating duration of time for which the one or more of the slave station communication devices are authorized to transmit the information. The one or more of the slave station communication devices transmit the information to the master station communication device based on the transmission request transmitted from the master station communication device.

Abstract: In a recording/reproducing device for use in recording and reproducing data on and from a recording medium while moving read/write head means relative to the recording medium in a moving direction, which comprises a carriage supporting the read/write head means and guided by a guiding member in the moving direction, and a voice coil motor comprising a voice coil and a magnetic circuit device for driving the carriage in the moving direction. The carriage has a coil holding portion by which the voice coil is fixedly held in the condition that the coil axis is arranged in the moving direction. The voice coil is applied with a driving electric current for driving the carriage. The magnetic circuit device is fixedly disposed adjacent to the voice coil to generate a magnetic field intersecting the driving current flowing through the voice coil, the voice coil moving in the moving direction together with the carriage by an interaction of the driving current and the magnetic field.

Abstract: In a recording/reproducing device for use in recording and reproducing data on and from a recording medium while moving read/write head means relative to the recording medium in a moving direction, which comprises a carriage supporting the read/write head means and guided by a guiding member in the moving direction, and a voice coil motor comprising a voice coil and a magnetic circuit device for driving the carriage in the moving direction. The carriage has a coil holding portion by which the voice coil is fixedly held in the condition that the coil axis is arranged in the moving direction. The voice coil is applied with a driving electric current for driving the carriage. The magnetic circuit device is fixedly disposed adjacent to the voice coil to generate a magnetic field intersecting the driving current flowing through the voice coil, the voice coil moving in the moving direction together with the carriage by an interaction of the driving current and the magnetic field.

Abstract: In a large-capacity FD comprising a disk-shaped recording medium on which a plurality of tracks are arranged with concentric circles, each track is divided into a predetermined number of sectors having a length equal to one another. Each sector consists of a serve field and a data field. The servo field in each sector includes a sector number field in which a sector number and alternation contents of the magnetic disk medium are written and a track number field in which a track number is written. The sectors on each track may be assigned with serial sector numbers in a circumferential direction in order with skipping over any defective sector. The plurality of tracks may be separated in a radial direction into a plurality of zones each including at least one alternate track.

Abstract: In a method of carrying out defect management on reading data from a disk-shaped magnetic recording medium comprising a plurality of tracks separated into a user data area available to a user, an alternate area, and a management area, the method comprises the steps of retrying reading operation of data up to a maximum retry count when an error is detected on reading of data for a target sector in the user data area and of registering the target sector in a defect table in the management area and writing read-out data in an alternate sector in the alternate area in a case where a retry count is not less than a specific count when retry results in a success.

Abstract: In a recording/reproducing device for use in recording and reproducing data on and from a recording medium while moving read/write head means relative to the recording medium in a moving direction, which comprises a carriage supporting the read/write head means and guided by a guiding member in the moving direction, and a voice coil motor comprising a voice coil and a magnetic circuit device for driving the carriage in the moving direction. The carriage has a coil holding portion by which the voice coil is fixedly held in the condition that the coil axis is arranged in the moving direction. The voice coil is applied with a driving electric current for driving the carriage. The magnetic circuit device is fixedly disposed adjacent to the voice coil to generate a magnetic field intersecting the driving current flowing through the voice coil, the voice coil moving in the moving direction together with the carriage by an interaction of the driving current and the magnetic field.

Abstract: In a motor drive for driving a motor having three-phase coils in both a high rotation speed mode making the motor at a high rotation speed and a low rotation speed mode making the motor at a low rotation speed which is extremely lower than the high rotation speed, the motor drive comprises a mode selection circuit for making a connection of the three-phase coils unipolar and bipolar connections on the high and the low rotation speed modes, respectively. A frequency generation pattern detects a rotation speed of the motor. On the basis of the rotation speed detected by the frequency generation pattern, a combination of a PLL circuit and a driving transistor drives the motor at the high and the low rotation speeds on the high and the low rotation speed modes, respectively.

Abstract: In a motor drive for driving a motor having three-phase coils in both a high rotation speed mode in which the motor rotates at a high rotation speed and a low rotation speed mode in which the motor rotates at a low rotation speed which is extremely lower than the high rotation speed, the motor drive includes a mode selection circuit for making a connection of the three-phase coils unipolar and bipolar connections on the high and the low rotation speed modes, respectively. A frequency generation pattern detects a rotation speed of the motor. On the basis of the rotation speed detected by the frequency generation pattern, a combination of a PLL circuit and a driving transistor drives the motor at the high and the low rotation speeds in the high and the low rotation speed modes, respectively.

Abstract: In a recording/reproducing device for use in recording and reproducing data on and from a recording medium while moving read/write head means relative to the recording medium in a moving direction, which comprises a carriage supporting the read/write head means and guided by a guiding member in the moving direction, and a voice coil motor comprising a voice coil and a magnetic circuit device for driving the carriage in the moving direction. The carriage has a coil holding portion by which the voice coil is fixedly held in the condition that the coil axis is arranged in the moving direction. The voice coil is applied with a driving electric current for driving the carriage. The magnetic circuit device is fixedly disposed adjacent to the voice coil to generate a magnetic field intersecting the driving current flowing through the voice coil, the voice coil moving in the moving direction together with the carriage by an interaction of the driving current and the magnetic field.

Abstract: In a disk protection method for protecting a magnetic recording disk upon ejection thereof from a removable magnetic recording/reproducing device by an eject mechanism through operation of an eject button, data writing relative to the magnetic recording disk is inhibited in response to a data write inhibit signal which is generated immediately after the operation of the eject button and before the eject mechanism actually starts the ejection of the magnetic recording disk. The eject mechanism actually ejects the magnetic recording disk from the removable magnetic recording/reproducing device in a condition where the data writing is inhibited.

Abstract: A carriage location detector comprises a scale formed on a carriage and having a plurality of slits at a predetermined interval, a photointerrupter including at least one light emitting element and a plurality of light receiving elements arranged opposite to each other with the scale interposed therebetween. The light receiving elements are so that output signals thereof have a phase difference of 90.degree. from one another. A processing circuit is responsive to the output signals from the light emitting elements for carrying out processing, in an initial setting operation, so as to keep voltage waveforms of the output signals within a predetermined range.