JPH03109625A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To use an electronic equipment in a low power consumption mode and a high characteristic mode when the equipment is driven by a battery and an AC power supply respectively by selecting the power consumption modes based on the driving power supply discriminating result. CONSTITUTION:A voltage detecting part 4 discriminates whether a battery is used or an AC power supply is used as a driving power supply. Based on a deciding signal outputted from the part 4, a head position control signal generating part 8 decides a high characteristic mode where a high function ability is secured despite the large power consumption or a low power consumption mode where the power consumption is reduced despite the deterioration caused to the function ability to drive a magnetic disk device 5. Thus it is possible to use the main body 2 of a personal computer PC or a personal work station WS with a long driving time secured by a battery in a battery driving state or with the full application of the function of a driving part in an AC power drive state respectively.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is directed to dual-power electronic equipment having two types of driving power sources, particularly personal computers that use batteries or AC power as the driving power source. , or regarding personal work stenicidine.

(Prior Art) In recent years, the spread of personal computers or personal workstations (hereinafter referred to as PC/WS) has been remarkable, and the demand for them is also increasing. However, the current situation is that it has not reached the level of widespread use of calculators. The reasons for this include preconceptions such as the difficulty of understanding PC/WS itself and the inability to get used to keyboards, as well as the fact that even if you can use PC/WS, you cannot have your own PC/WS. You can't use it when you want to use it, you can't place it nearby because it takes up a lot of space,
There were reasons for its use, such as it being too heavy to carry. To solve these problems, we developed a laptop PC/WS that is small, lightweight, portable, and can use industry standard software.
has been developed and its spread is accelerating.

On the other hand, in order to meet the needs of a wide range of users, many products are adopting a dual power supply system that can be powered by an AC power source and a rechargeable secondary battery. This makes battery power extremely useful.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) When a PC/WS is used battery-powered, a problem is that the time it can be driven by a charged battery is short. In order to solve this problem of short driving time, various measures have been taken to extend the driving time. For example, if the PC/WS is not used for a long time after it is turned on, the power to the main unit is automatically shut off, the flat display (LCD display, etc.) is set to a power consumption switching type, and the brightness is reduced or the power is shut off. In magnetic disk devices, floppy disk devices, etc., the rotation of the disk is automatically stopped and the disk is put into standby mode.

However, although these methods are excellent in themselves,
When using an AC power source as the driving power source, for the user,
Unexpected power shutdown, display going dark,
This has also caused problems due to loss of time between rise and fall of magnetic disks and floppy disk devices.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and operates with as low power consumption as possible when driven by batteries, and when driven by AC power, eliminates limitations due to power consumption when driven by batteries, and has high characteristics. The purpose is to provide electronic devices that operate in

[Structure of the Invention] (Means and Effects for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electronic device using a battery or an AC power source as a driving power source, which power source is the driving power source. a power supply discriminating section that determines whether
A mode selection section that selects either a low power consumption mode that consumes less power or a high characteristic mode that consumes more power based on the determination result of the power source determination section; By selecting the power consumption mode based on the drive power source determination result, the electronic device can be operated in low power consumption mode when powered by batteries, or when driven by AC power source. It can be used in high performance mode.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a usage pattern diagram showing its usage pattern.

As shown in Figure 2, an AC adapter 1 that uses alternating current as a power source
When used as a driving power source, electronic equipment such as a PC/
The WS main body 2 operates by receiving power supply through the cable 3. That is, the power from the AC adapter 1 is transmitted to the voltage detection unit 4 that detects the power supply from the AC adapter 1, the magnetic disk device 5 that stores data, the PC/WS microprocessor etc. 6, and the built-in PC/WS main body 2. The power is supplied to the secondary battery 7 as an internal power source. PC/W
The S microprocessor etc. 6 is a component having a core function of the PC/WS main body 2, and consists of a microprocessor, a storage device, a control device, a flat display, etc., but detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. do.

When power is being supplied from the AC adapter 1, the voltage detection section 4 instructs the head position control signal generation section 8, which controls the head position of the magnetic disk drive 5, to be driven by the AC adapter 1, that is, the AC power source. sends a discrimination signal indicating the Also, if AC adapter 1 is not connected,
The voltage detection section 4 sends a determination signal to the head position control signal generation section 8 indicating that the head position control signal generation section 8 is driven by a secondary battery as an internal power source. A head control signal based on a determination signal corresponding to the drive power source is supplied from the head position control signal generating section 8 to the magnetic disk drive 5, and the magnetic disk drive 5 operates according to this head control signal.

Further, when the secondary battery 7 is receiving power supply from the AC adapter 1, it is charged and at the same time, the head position control signal generator 8, the magnetic disk device 5, and the PC/W
Power is supplied to the S microprocessor, etc. 6. However, the power supplied at this time is negligibly small because the power supply voltage from the AC adapter 1 is set higher than the voltage of the secondary battery 7. In addition, AC adapter 1
When not connected, each of the above-mentioned components receives power from the secondary battery 7, and even if the power supply to one of them stops, it is configured to operate normally from the other power source. .

Hereinafter, the operation of one embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be explained.

When the PC/WS main body 2 is driven by the AC adapter 1, the voltage detection section 4 outputs a determination signal to the head position control signal generation section 8 indicating that it is driven by an AC power supply. Based on this determination signal, the head position control signal generator 8 instructs the magnetic disk device 5 to set a position normally called the home position when the magnetic disk device 5 is not used for a certain period of time or more, that is, when no data is written or read. A head retraction unnecessary signal is output that indicates that there is no need to move the magnetic head to the position. When it is no longer necessary to move the magnetic head to the home position, the magnetic head can be immediately moved to a desired track when writing or reading data after the magnetic disk drive 5 has not been used for a certain period of time. Therefore, the magnetic disk 5 can be used in a high performance mode in which its functions are fully demonstrated.

On the other hand, if AC adapter 1 is not connected, P
The C/WS main body 2 is driven by a secondary battery 7 which is an internal power source. In this case, the voltage detection section 4 outputs a determination signal to the head position control signal generation section 8 indicating that the head position control signal generation section 8 is battery driven. In the case of battery drive, the priority is to extend the battery drive time, so it is necessary to operate the drive unit whose power consumption can be variably controlled with the minimum necessary functions and drive with low power consumption. Head position control signal generator 8
is a head evacuation unnecessary signal that indicates to the magnetic disk drive 5 based on a determination signal indicating that it is battery-driven, that the magnetic head does not need to be moved to the home position when the magnetic disk drive 5 is not used for a certain period of time or more. Instead, it outputs a head retraction signal that moves the magnetic head to the home position. When the head evacuation signal is input, the magnetic disk device 5 moves the magnetic head to the home position after a predetermined period of non-use, and stops the rotation of a motor (not shown) that rotationally drives the magnetic disk. Save power consumption. Therefore, the magnetic disk device 5 can be used in a low power consumption mode in which the necessary functions are ensured. However, when the magnetic disk drive 5 is used again, the magnetic head is moved to a desired track after the motor is rotated and the motor reaches a predetermined number of rotations, so time is wasted in head access. Put it away. This occurs because priority is given to lengthening battery drive time.

As described above, the magnetic disk device is a drive unit whose power consumption can be variably controlled based on the determination signal output from the voltage detection unit 4 that determines whether the drive power source is an AC power source or a battery. The head position control signal generating unit 8 selects whether to drive the head 5 in a high characteristic mode that consumes a lot of power but exhibits a high level of functionality, or in a low power consumption mode that reduces functionality but consumes little power. By doing so, the PC/WS body 2 can be used for a longer time when it is powered by a battery, and when it is driven by an AC power supply, the functions of the drive unit can be fully utilized. can.

In the above embodiment, the drive power source is electrically determined by the voltage detection unit, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to electrically or mechanically detect that the connection terminal of the AC adapter is connected to the PC/WS main body. A discrimination signal may also be output.

Further, in the above embodiment, the drive unit whose power consumption can be variably controlled is a magnetic disk device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the drive unit is a floppy disk device,
Power consumption may be controlled in the same manner as above. Alternatively, the drive unit may be a flat display, and the display may be stopped if no key operation is performed for a predetermined period of time when the drive unit is powered by batteries. Furthermore, in the case of a flat display with a backlight, the outside brightness may be detected by a CCD sensor or the like in addition to the display stop function, and the backlight may be turned off when the brightness exceeds a predetermined level.

Further, in the above embodiment, only the magnetic disk device is used as the drive unit, but the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the driving section may be a magnetic disk device, a floppy disk device, or a magnetic disk device, a floppy disk device, and a flat display, and may be configured with a plurality of driving sections.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the electronic device of the present invention, the drive power source is determined and the drive section is driven in the low power consumption mode or in the high characteristic mode based on the determination result. By making it possible to select whether to use a low power consumption mode when using batteries, you can extend the usage time of the battery by using a low power consumption mode, or by using a high characteristic mode when using an AC power source. The drive unit can be used to fully utilize its functions.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a usage pattern diagram when an AC power source is used as a driving power source. ■...AC adapter (AC power supply), 2...PC/WS body (electronic equipment),...voltage detection unit (power supply determination unit),...magnetic disk device (drive unit),... secondary battery,

Claims (1)

[Claims] In electronic equipment that uses a battery or an AC power source as a driving power source, a power source determining section determines which power source is the driving power source, and a low power consumption mode that consumes less power based on the determination result of this power source determining section. Alternatively, an electronic device comprising: a mode selection unit that selects one of the high-performance modes that consumes a large amount of power; and a drive unit that is driven according to the mode selected by the selection unit.