Patent ID: 8440360

Claim:
An electronic device which detects a residual capacity of a fuel cell device, the fuel cell device including a tank section which accommodates a first hydrogen storage alloy having a first desorbed hydrogen pressure in a first pressure equilibrium state and a second hydrogen storage alloy having a second desorbed hydrogen pressure in a second pressure equilibrium state, wherein the first desorbed hydrogen pressure has a higher value than the second desorbed hydrogen pressure, and a power generating section which generates electric power by using hydrogen desorbed from the tank section, comprising: a pressure detecting unit which detects a pressure of the hydrogen supplied to the power generating section; a comparing unit; an output unit for outputting a first signal, a second signal or a third signal; and a control unit which operates with the electric power supplied from the power generating section, the control unit programmed to control the comparing unit to compare the pressure of the hydrogen detected by the pressure detecting unit with the first desorbed hydrogen pressure and the second desorbed hydrogen pressure, the control unit further programmed to control the output unit to output (i) the first signal if the pressure of the hydrogen detected by the pressure detecting unit is equal to or larger than the first desorbed hydrogen pressure, (ii) the second signal if the pressure of the hydrogen detected by the pressure detecting unit is less than the first desorbed hydrogen pressure and equal to or larger than the second desorbed hydrogen pressure, and (iii) the third signal if the pressure of the hydrogen detected by the pressure detecting unit is less than the second desorbed hydrogen pressure.