Abstract: Information equipment includes an open/close mechanism that opens or closes exhaust ports, a cooling fan that dissipates heat in the information equipment into the air through the exhaust ports, a user state detecting part that detects a contact state in which the hand of a user is in contact with the information equipment or a closeness state in which the hand of the user is close to the information equipment, and a heat dissipation control part that controls an open/closed state of the open/close mechanism so that heat exhausted from the exhaust ports is not directed to the hand of the user that is contact with or close to the information equipment, in accordance with the contact state or the closeness state detected by the user state detecting part.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus and method include measuring power consumptions of devices and outputting power consumption data, receiving operational conditions of the devices for measuring the power consumptions of the devices, setting the operational conditions of the devices according to application-setting conditions, and executing an application program to measure reference power consumptions for executing the application program. The information processing apparatus includes a power consumption data-transmitting section transmitting power consumption data, a normalized power consumption-calculating section receiving normalized reference power consumption calculated from reference power consumptions of information processing apparatuses, and calculating normalized power consumption from the normalized reference power consumption and the reference power consumptions.

Abstract: A wireless power transmitting system that transmits power from a power transmitting station to a power receiving station wirelessly includes the power receiving station. The power receiving station includes a unit receiving power from the power transmitting station, a unit obtaining a level of power received through the antenna, a unit obtaining a level of power consumed by the device operating while being supplied with received power and a unit transmitting the received power level and the power consuming level to the power transmitting station wirelessly. The power transmitting station includes a unit receiving the received power level and the power consuming level from the power receiving station wirelessly, a unit controlling the level of power transmitted through the transmitting antenna based on the difference between the received power level and the received power consuming level, and a unit transmitting power to the power receiving station wirelessly.

Abstract: An electronic device includes: a first input terminal to which a first DC supply voltage of a fuel cell system having a controllable supply voltage is provided; a second input terminal to which a second DC supply voltage of a rechargeable secondary battery is provided; a DC voltage conversion circuit which receives the first and second DC supply voltages from the first and second input terminals, and supplies a current of a desired voltage to a load; a charging circuit which receives the first DC supply voltage from the first input terminal, and supplies a DC supply voltage for charging to the second input terminal; and a control circuit which determines a desired value of the first DC supply voltage in accordance with a value of the second DC supply voltage of the secondary battery, and provides the determined desired value to the fuel cell system.

Abstract: A charging system including: a processor that includes a containing part for selectively containing either one of a secondary battery of a first type and a secondary battery of a second type capable of being rapidly charged with an electrical quantity greater than that of the secondary battery of the first type, and that carries out processing using, as a power source, the secondary battery contained in the containing part; and a feeder for feeding power to the processor so as to charge the secondary battery, wherein the processor includes: a determination part for determining whether or not the contained secondary battery needs to be charged; a battery detection part for detecting the type of the contained secondary battery when it is determined that the secondary battery needs to be charged; and a transmission part for transmitting, to the feeder, a feed instruction.

Abstract: A power-source control system and method which calculates required power representing electric power to be supplied to an information processing apparatus, supplies electric power corresponding to the required power calculated, controls the power-source apparatus, generates frequency information representing an operating frequency to be determined by the frequency controller in accordance with a load of a CPU, and changes the operating frequency of the CPU by assigning the operating frequency represented by the frequency information to the CPU when the electric power to be used in the information processing apparatus is adjusted using the required power calculated.

Abstract: An information processing device is provided. The information processing device which operates upon receipt of power supply from a power unit connected to an alternative current power source or from a battery includes an obtaining unit which obtains load information of parts included in the information processing device itself, a deciding unit which decides a voltage value to be supplied by the power unit which supplies electric power to the information processing device, based on the load information obtained by the obtaining unit, and an output unit which outputs a signal relative to the voltage value decided by the deciding unit to the power unit.

Abstract: A voltage conversion circuit is provided for efficiently converting the voltage of a DC power source into a lower voltage in accordance with load currents of voltage converters.

Abstract: A battery device for an electronic apparatus includes a rechargeable secondary battery, a fuel cell, and a run time computing unit receiving data representative of a voltage versus residual-capacity characteristic of the secondary battery and data representative of a residual capacity of the fuel cell and determining therefrom a residual capacity and a run time of the secondary battery and a run time of the fuel cell and estimates of which of the respective power capacities of the secondary battery and the fuel cell unit will reach the respective, predetermined residual capacities thereof earlier. If it is estimated that the fuel cell will, the computing unit determines a run time of the battery device and supplies data representative of the thus determined run time of the battery device to a power management unit of the electronic apparatus.

Abstract: A temperature controlling apparatus determines a fan rotation speed from a surrounding noise and a fan noise, measures a temperature of a large scale integration (LSI) device or the like that is a controlled object, determines, in a cooling capacity range of the determined fan rotation speed, an operating clock frequency that falls within an allowable temperature range, and controls the LSI to be connected.

Abstract: Information equipment includes an open/close mechanism that opens or closes exhaust ports, a cooling fan that dissipates heat in the information equipment into the air through the exhaust ports, a user state detecting part that detects a contact state in which the hand of a user is in contact with the information equipment or a closeness state in which the hand of the user is close to the information equipment, and a heat dissipation control part that controls an open/closed state of the open/close mechanism so that heat exhausted from the exhaust ports is not directed to the hand of the user that is contact with or close to the information equipment, in accordance with the contact state or the closeness state detected by the user state detecting part.

Abstract: An information processor of an electronic apparatus includes a power manager managing power of a secondary battery, and has major functions and a supplementary function. The power manager initiates restriction of the supplementary function, when detected present remaining battery power of the secondary battery is below a threshold. The power manager computes the threshold for the secondary battery or a set operating time for the major functions according to the remaining battery power at the threshold, in accordance with received user input information and power consumption rates corresponding to the major functions. The power manager computes an operating time available for the major functions in accordance with detected remaining battery power of the secondary battery and the power consumption rates corresponding to the major functions.

Abstract: An electronic device includes: a first input terminal to which a first DC supply voltage of a fuel cell system having a controllable supply voltage is provided; a second input terminal to which a second DC supply voltage of a rechargeable secondary battery is provided; a DC voltage conversion circuit which receives the first and second DC supply voltages from the first and second input terminals, and supplies a current of a desired voltage to a load; a charging circuit which receives the first DC supply voltage from the first input terminal, and supplies a DC supply voltage for charging to the second input terminal; and a control circuit which determines a desired value of the first DC supply voltage in accordance with a value of the second DC supply voltage of the secondary battery, and provides the determined desired value to the fuel cell system.

Abstract: An information processing unit of an electronic apparatus includes a power manager managing power of a secondary battery, and has major functions and a supplementary function. The power manager initiates restriction of the supplementary functions, when present remaining battery power of the secondary battery as detected by a detector is below a predetermined threshold. The power manager computes one of the predetermined threshold for the secondary battery and a set operating time for the major functions from the remaining battery power at the predetermined threshold, in accordance with the other of the predetermined threshold for the secondary battery and the set operating time for the major functions from the remaining battery power at the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: An information access system comprises: antennas arranged at respective different positions and used for communicating with contactless information storage devices that pass through a predetermined region substantially simultaneously; reader devices coupled to the respective antennas and adapted to communicate with the contactless information storage devices; and a control unit for controlling the reader devices and transmitting, to another apparatus, data received from the reader devices. In response to a control signal received from the other apparatus, the control unit controls predetermined one of the reader devices to transmit an RF identification request signal to the predetermined region via the antenna. The reader devices receive RF response signals from the contactless information storage devices via the antennas, then reproduce identifications, and then provide the reproduced identifications to the control unit.

Abstract: A battery device for an electronic apparatus includes a rechargeable secondary battery, a fuel cell, and a run time computing unit receiving, from the secondary battery, data representative of a voltage versus residual-capacity characteristic of the secondary battery, and receiving, from the fuel cell, data representative of a residual capacity of the fuel cell. The computing unit determines data representative of a residual capacity and a run time of the secondary battery in accordance with the data representative of the voltage versus residual-capacity characteristic and with supply voltage and supply current of the secondary battery, determines a run time of the fuel cell in accordance with the data representative of the fuel cell residual capacity and with supply current of the fuel cell, and estimates which of power capacities of the secondary battery and fuel cell reaches predetermined residual capacities earlier.

Abstract: A voltage conversion circuit is provided for efficiently converting the voltage of a DC power source into a lower voltage in accordance with load currents of voltage converters.

Abstract: An information processing device capable of starting an application by a simple operation upon power turning on or return from the suspend state or halt state and not inhibiting reduction of the device size. The information processing device includes an application selection dial rotatably attached to a housing and capable of stopping at a plurality of selection positions, a position detector for detecting the selection position of the application selection dial, and an application automatic starter that starts the application among a plurality of applications, the application being allocated to the selection position detected by the position detector at time of start-up.

Abstract: The present invention provides a data accumulation system wherein data storage process is simplified by using a portable communication device such as a notebook type PC as a data storage device. The data accumulation system of the invention comprises a pen scanner 21 as a data output device, a notebook type PC 22 as a data storage device and a portable terminal 23 as a data checking terminal. The pen scanner 21 reads a character string or the like in a document as an image and sends data of the image to the note PC 22. The note PC 22 generates thumbnail image data of the image data and sends the data to the portable terminal 23. When the thumbnail image is displayed on a display of the portable terminal 23, a user watches it and checks whether or not the data are worth storing. If the user decides to store the data, the user input a storage command from the portable terminal 23 to the note PC.

Abstract: The device includes a device body that includes a display means that allows selection from among a plurality of display directions for display of images, information and the like; an operational instruction means capable of accepting input of instructions including selection instructions for selecting display direction of images, information and the like on the display means; and a battery unit that supplies power to the device body. The device body is provided with a plurality of attachment positions, such that at least one of the operational instruction means and the battery unit can be attached in a position that is compatible with the display direction of images, information and the like on the display means.