JP2001094500A - Mobile communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile communication apparatus that can save current consumption of its battery so as to withstand a long time use to the utmost. SOLUTION: This mobile communication apparatus provided with a picture photographing means, an image display means, a communication means that conduct communication including communication of a picture with a destination communication apparatus through a wireless channel, and the battery to supply an operating power supply to each means, is provided with a power supply monitor means detecting that the battery voltage reaches a prescribed voltage or below and a control means that interrupt a power supply of at least either of the picture photographing means and the image display means in the case of receiving a battery voltage drop detection notice from the power supply monitor means during a speech state including communication of a picture with a destination communication apparatus.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile communication device such as a portable telephone device, and more particularly to a mobile communication device provided with an image photographing means in a part of a device main body and capable of performing communication including images. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional portable terminal device, an image display means composed of a liquid crystal display or the like is used to display an image including characters from a power supply unit composed of a primary battery or a secondary battery. A power supply voltage for operation is supplied to drive.

[0003] In the standby mode, characters, graphic symbols, and the like are generally displayed on the display of time, received electric field strength, remaining battery level, and the like.

[0004] Further, at the time of a call, characters, graphic symbols, and the like are displayed for the call time, the received electric field strength, and the like.

With respect to such a configuration, the size of an image pickup means such as a CCD camera has been reduced, and an image photographing means is provided in a part of the apparatus main body. As a mobile phone, a mobile phone has been put to practical use that transmits and receives data to and from a destination mobile phone, thereby enabling communication in a so-called TV phone mode.

[0006]

In a case where an image pickup means such as a CCD camera is provided to perform communication in a TV phone mode,
It is necessary to supply operation power from a battery to both the image photographing means and the image display means such as a liquid crystal display.

However, when communication is performed in the TV phone mode, the current consumption increases at least twice as much as that in a voice-only communication state, and the battery life is shortened. There is a problem that it becomes.

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile communication device capable of saving current consumption of a battery and enduring use as long as possible.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image capturing means, an image displaying means, and a communication including an image through a wireless line. Power communication monitoring means for detecting that the battery voltage has dropped below a predetermined value; and Control means for interrupting power supply to at least one of the image photographing means and the image display means when a battery voltage drop detection notification is received from the power supply monitoring means in a call state including an image with And

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the control means includes means for restarting power supply by a predetermined recovery operation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the control means includes means for notifying that the power supply should be shut off before shutting off the power supply. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, before the power supply is cut off, the control means notifies the user that the power supply is to be cut off. A means for shutting off only the power supply to the image capturing means when a switching operation to a communication mode that does not include the operation is performed.

[0013] The invention described in claim 5 is the first invention.
In the invention described in Item 4, the control means includes means for transmitting a message to the other communication device to shift to the still image communication mode before shutting off power supply.

[0014] The invention according to claim 6 is the first invention.
In the invention described in Item 4, the control means includes a means for restarting power supply when detecting that charging of the battery has been started or that auxiliary power has been connected in a power supply cutoff state.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the mobile communication device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a mobile communication apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment shows a configuration when applied to the mobile phone device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a transition control to the low current consumption mode in the mobile phone device according to the configuration of FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a radio unit for transmitting / receiving radio waves in a predetermined frequency band to / from a base station (not shown) via an antenna 2, and 3 a main unit for controlling a communication protocol and a user interface in the radio unit 1. Control unit, 4
Is a communication control unit that demodulates a signal transmitted using the communication channel established by the communication protocol control by the main control unit 3 and forms a communication path with the other party by modulating the signal to be transmitted. A speaker 6 that emits an audio signal transmitted from the communication path formed by the control unit 4 to the outside, collects the external audio and converts it into an electric signal, and forms the converted audio signal by the communication control unit 4. And a microphone that sends the call to the other party by using the speaker 5 and the microphone 6.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a display unit for displaying a guide display and registration data at the time of inputting data such as a telephone number and a text message, a remaining battery level, electric field strength, a still image or a moving image, and 8 a numeral for inputting a telephone number and the like. An operation input unit 9 includes keys and function keys for operating various functions. A data storage unit 9 stores preset additional numbers, telephone directory data, redial data, and missed calls, still images or moving images. is there.

Reference numeral 10 denotes an image input unit for inputting a still image or a moving image from the outside, and is constituted by, for example, a CCD camera. An external input unit 11 receives data other than an image from an external device. Reference numeral 12 denotes a power supply unit that supplies power to each unit of the mobile phone device, and includes a primary battery or a rechargeable secondary battery. 13 is a switch for controlling the supply of battery power to the display unit 7, 14 is a switch for controlling the supply of battery power to the image input unit 10, and these switches 13 and 14 are opened and closed by a control signal from the main control unit 3. Is done. Reference numeral 15 denotes a power supply monitoring unit that detects that the output voltage of the power supply unit 12 has dropped below a predetermined value, and inputs a detection signal to the main control unit 3.

The operation of the portable telephone device configured as described above when shifting from the voice call mode to the low current consumption mode will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Here, the low current consumption mode refers to the display unit 7.
And an operation state in which power supply to at least one of the image input unit 10 is stopped to save battery current.

First, a user of the present apparatus captures an image from the image input unit 10 and displays the image on the display unit 7 or displays an image received from the partner device on the display unit 7.
When in a call state in the so-called TV phone mode (step 201), the battery voltage of the power supply unit 12 drops below a predetermined value, and this is detected by the power supply monitoring unit 15, and the main control unit 3 outputs a power-down detection signal. When the main control unit 3 receives the power drop detection signal, the main control unit 3 controls the switches 13 and 14 to open (OFF), and cuts off the supply of the power supply voltage to the display unit 7 and the image input unit 10. (Steps 202 and 203). As a result, the mode is shifted to the low current consumption mode.

After the low current consumption mode is entered, if an operation for a redisplay request from the user is performed on the operation input unit 8 (step 204), the switches 13 and 14 are controlled to be in a closed state (ON). Then, the supply of the power supply voltage to the display unit 7 and the image input unit 10 is restarted (Step 205).
As a result, the mode shifts from the low current consumption mode to the image display mode, and the image display state is set.

Therefore, according to such control, a telephone conversation is performed while capturing and displaying an image with the portable telephone device.
In the so-called TV phone mode, when the battery voltage drops, the mode immediately shifts to the low current consumption mode, so that the consumption of the battery current can be suppressed. As a result, the situation where the continuous use time is shortened can be solved.

Further, by restarting the supply of the power supply voltage in response to the redisplay request operation, it is possible to realize a usage mode in which the TV talk mode is prioritized even if the consumption of the battery current increases.

Although the power supply to both the display unit and the image input unit is cut off, only one of them may be cut off.

A plurality of thresholds for detecting that the power supply voltage has dropped are set, and for example, according to the degree of the voltage drop, for example,
The power supply to the image input unit may be cut off first, and the power supply including the display unit may be cut off at the next lowering stage. Further, even if a redisplay request operation is performed when the voltage drop is remarkable, this operation may be ignored and the consumption of the battery current may be forcibly suppressed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the control for shifting to the low current consumption mode.

The transition control shown in this flowchart adds a step 301 of outputting a low-voltage alarm from the speaker 5 or the display unit 7 before step 203 in FIG. 2 to allow the user to transition to the low current consumption mode. Is to be notified.

By notifying the user of the transition to the low current consumption mode in this manner, the user can notify the other party to that effect in advance and replace or charge the battery. It becomes possible to perform such preparations.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a third embodiment of the control for shifting to the low current consumption mode.

In the transition control shown in this flowchart, steps 401 and 402 are added after step 301 in FIG. 3, and when a low-voltage alarm is output, whether the user has performed an operation for selecting the voice communication mode. It is determined whether or not the voice input mode has been selected in the operation input unit 8 (step 401).
The supply of the power supply voltage to the
2) The mode is shifted to the voice call mode.

In this case, when the selection operation to the voice communication mode is not performed, the power supply to the display unit 7 and the image input unit 10 is forcibly cut off, and the mode is forcibly shifted to the low current consumption mode.

As described above, by voluntarily shifting to the low current consumption mode in consideration of the user's intention, it is possible to enlighten a usage mode that saves battery current.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a fourth embodiment of the control for shifting to the low current consumption mode.

The transition control shown in this flowchart is provided with a step 501 for judging whether or not to start charging or whether an auxiliary power supply is connected, instead of step 204 in FIGS. In this case, even if the re-display request operation is not performed, the supply of the power supply voltage to the display unit 7 and the image input unit 10 is immediately restarted.

As a result, the mode temporarily shifts to the low current consumption mode. However, when the charging is started or the auxiliary power supply is connected, the mode immediately shifts to the TV talk mode and communication including images can be continued.

After outputting the low-voltage alarm, a predetermined waiting time is set, and only when charging is not started or the auxiliary power supply is not connected even after the waiting time has elapsed, the mode is temporarily set to the low current consumption mode. You may make it transfer. In this case, by starting charging or connecting the auxiliary power supply within the waiting time, the TV talk mode can be continued without shifting to the low current consumption mode.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a fifth embodiment of the control for shifting to the low current consumption mode.

In the transition control shown in this flowchart, after the step 401 in FIG. 6, a step 601 of transmitting a message for switching to the still image mode to the partner apparatus.
And 602 are added.

According to this control procedure, after the low-voltage alarm is output, if there is no operation for switching to the voice communication mode by the user, a message for switching to the still image mode is transmitted to the partner device ( Step 602),
Thereafter, the mode shifts to the low current consumption mode.

On the other hand, even when the user performs an operation for switching to the voice communication mode, a message for switching to the still image mode is transmitted to the partner device. Cut off.

When the charging is started or the auxiliary power supply is connected, the power supply to the image input unit 10 and the display unit 7 is restarted (step 205), and thereafter, a message for switching to the moving image mode is sent to the partner device. It is transmitted (step 603).

Thus, the user of the partner device can continue the communication while watching the still image immediately before the power of the image input unit 10 is turned off.

Note that a message for switching to the still image mode may be displayed on the display unit 7.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a mobile communication device including an image capturing unit and an image display unit, when detecting that the battery voltage has dropped below a predetermined value, power supply to at least one of the image capturing unit and the image display unit is shut off. Because
It is possible to realize a mobile communication device capable of saving current consumption of a battery and enduring use as long as possible.

Further, by restarting the power supply by a predetermined recovery operation, it is possible to realize a usage mode giving priority to the TV communication mode even when the consumption of the battery current increases.

Further, by notifying that the power supply is to be cut off before the power supply is cut off, the user can notify the other party to that effect in advance and exchange the battery or
Preparations such as charging can be performed.

Further, when an operation for switching to a communication mode not including an image is performed in response to the cutoff notification before the power supply is cut off, only the power supply to the image photographing means is cut off, so that the user's intention is reduced. As a result, the mode automatically shifts to the low current consumption mode, and the battery current can be saved.

Further, before the power supply is cut off, a message to the effect that the mode is shifted to the still image communication mode is transmitted to the other party's communication device, so that the user of the other party's device turns off the power of the image photographing means. Communication can be continued while viewing the immediately preceding still image.

When the start of charging of the battery or the detection of the connection of the auxiliary power supply is detected in the power supply cutoff state, the power supply is restarted, and the communication mode including the moving image is shifted to the communication mode using the moving image. Can continue.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a mobile communication device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a first embodiment of control for shifting the mobile communication device shown in FIG. 1 to a low current consumption mode.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of control for shifting the mobile communication device shown in FIG. 1 to a low current consumption mode.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a third embodiment of the transition control of the mobile communication device shown in FIG. 1 to a low current consumption mode.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a fourth embodiment of control for shifting the mobile communication device shown in FIG. 1 to a low current consumption mode.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a fifth embodiment of control for shifting the mobile communication device shown in FIG. 1 to a low current consumption mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 Radio unit 2 Antenna 3 Main control unit 4 Call control unit 5 Speaker 6 Microphone 7 Display unit 8 Operation input unit 9 Data storage unit 10 Image input unit 12 Power supply unit 13 Switch 14 Switch 15 Voltage monitoring unit

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5C064 AA01 AA04 AB04 AC04 AC12 AC22 AD08 5K027 AA11 BB17 FF21 FF22 GG04 HH29 5K067 AA27 AA43 BB04 BB21 DD52 EE02 FF02 FF19 FF23 FF25 GG01 NN05N05 NN

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image photographing means, an image display means, a communication means for performing communication including an image with a destination communication device through a wireless line, and a battery for supplying power for operation to each of these means. A mobile communication device comprising: a power supply monitoring means for detecting that the battery voltage has dropped to a predetermined value or less; and a battery voltage drop detection notification from the power supply monitoring means in a call state including an image with a destination communication device. And a control unit for shutting off power supply to at least one of the image photographing unit and the image display unit when receiving the mobile communication device. 2. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes means for restarting power supply by a predetermined recovery operation. 3. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a unit for notifying that the power supply is to be shut off before shutting off the power supply. 4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein before the power supply is cut off, the control unit notifies the user that the power supply is to be cut off. 2. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, further comprising means for interrupting only power supply to the image photographing means. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes means for transmitting a message to the other communication apparatus to shift to a still image communication mode before shutting off power supply. Any of the mobile communication devices. 6. The control means according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes means for resuming power supply when the start of charging of the battery or the detection of connection of an auxiliary power supply is detected in a power supply cutoff state. 6. The mobile communication device according to claim 5,