The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 29, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 13, 1999
Hiroshi Yabe, Shiojiri, JP;
Makoto Okeya, Nagano-ken, JP;
Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A reliable power supply control function in a portable electronic device which includes a limiter circuit, or includes the limiter circuit and a voltage step-up circuit, to reduce power consumption. It is detected whether or not a voltage generated by a power generator or a voltage accumulated in a power supply device exceeds a preset limiter-ON voltage. When the voltage generated by the power generator or the voltage accumulated in the power supply device has become not lower than the preset limiter-ON voltage, a voltage of electrical energy supplied to the power supply device is limited to a predetermined reference voltage set in advance. When it is determined based on a detection result of a status-of-power-generation detecting section that power is not generated by the power generator , detecting operation of a limiter-ON-voltage detecting circuit A is prohibited. Power consumption required for operating the limiter-ON-voltage detecting circuit can be thus reduced.