Communication device and communication device control method

A method for controlling a communication device utilized in a communication network and comprising a communication process section for controlling communications in the communication network, a battery for supplying power to the communication process section, and a temperature detection section for detecting temperature of a battery housing section housing the battery, the method including:

• a step of determining whether the battery is being charged;
• a step of determining whether the temperature detected by the temperature detection section is within a predetermined range that is pre-established in terms of the charging temperature;
• a step, if the battery is being charged and the temperature detected by the temperature detection section is not within a charging-temperature range that is pre-established in terms of the charging temperature, of halting the charging of the battery;
• a step, if power is supplied from the battery to the communication process section and the temperature detected by the temperature detection section is not within a discharging-temperature range that is pre-established in terms of the discharging temperature, of halting the supplying of power from the battery to the communication process section;
• detecting temperature of the battery by a second temperature detection section;
• and
• halting the charging of the battery when the battery is being charged and the temperature detected by the second temperature detection section is not within a predetermined second charging-temperature range.

A portable, rechargeable, wirelessly operable network telecommunications device comprising:

• a main unit housing a mainboard;
• a telecommunications processor on the mainboard, for carrying out and controlling network telecommunications functions of the device;
• a battery housing in the main unit;
• a rechargeable battery housed in the battery housing, the battery for supplying power to the telecommunications processor;
• a battery control section in the main unit, for controlling charging and discharging of the battery;
• temperature-detecting means in the main unit, for detecting temperatures of the battery and its environs;
• a cradle into which the main unit is detachably connectable, the cradle configured for supplying power from an external power source to at least the telecommunications processor in the main unit, and to the battery via the battery control section to thereby charge the battery, when the main unit is connected into the cradle and the cradle is connected to the external power source;
• a temperature control section in the main unit, the temperature control section responsive to the temperature-detecting means and configured to control the battery control section in such a way that
• when the main unit is connected into the cradle and the cradle is connected to an external power source, such that the battery is being charged, if the temperatures detected by the temperature-detecting means are not within predetermined charging-temperature ranges, the battery control section halts charging of the battery, and
• when the main unit is either detached from the cradle or is connected into the cradle but the cradle is not connected to an external power source, such that the battery discharges to supply power to the telecommunications processor, if the temperatures detected by the temperature-detecting means are not within predetermined discharging-temperature ranges, the battery control section halts the supplying of power to the telecommunications processor.

In a portable, rechargeable network telecommunications device comprising a main unit housing a mainboard, a telecommunications processor on the mainboard, a rechargeable battery housed in a main-unit battery housing and discharging to supply power to the telecommunications processor, a battery control section in the main unit, a temperature-detecting means in the main unit, and a cradle, into which the main unit is detachably connectable, for supplying power from an external power source to at least the telecommunications processor in the main unit, and to the battery via the battery control section to thereby charge the battery, when the main unit is connected into the cradle and the cradle is connected to the external power source, a temperature-control method comprising:

• a charge-detecting step of detecting via the battery control section whether the battery is being charged via the cradle, or is discharging to supply power to the telecommunications processor;
• a temperature-detecting step of detecting temperatures of the battery and its environs;
• a battery-charging control step, responsive to said charge-detecting step and said temperature-detecting step, of halting, via the battery control section, charging of the battery if the temperatures detected in said temperature-detecting step are not within predetermined charging-temperature ranges;
• and
• a battery-discharging control step, responsive to said charge-detecting step and said temperature-detecting step, of halting, via the battery control section, the supplying of power to the telecommunications processor if the temperatures detected in said temperature-detecting step are not within predetermined discharging-temperature ranges.