JPH11353048A - Power saving mode shift control method for electronic equipment, electronic equipment and storage medium recorded with power saving mode shift control procedure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To speedily and easily realize the application operation environment desired for a user when recovered from a power saving mode in an electronic equipment having a power saving function. SOLUTION: This equipment is provided with an automatic activation application register file 162 for registering an application or file to be used by the user after recovery and an automatic application activating program 161 for automatically performing processing for activating the application or file registered in this file 162 when shifted into power saving mode. A power saving control program 132 is changed into power saving mode by saving the execution environment of the application or file provided as a result of the said start and resets this saved application execution environment, which is scheduled to be used after recovery, after the power saving mode is recovered.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control for shifting to a power saving mode in an electronic device having a power saving function, and more particularly, to a control for shifting to a power saving mode suitable for an electronic device such as a battery-driven personal computer which emphasizes portability. The present invention relates to a method, an electronic device to which the method is applied, and a recording medium in which a power saving mode transition control procedure is recorded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a portable electronic device such as a personal computer driven by a battery, in order to extend the life of a battery as a power source as much as possible, it is necessary to keep a main power-on state as necessary while keeping a necessary minimum part. It has a power saving function that shuts off power to the hardware except for, and reduces unnecessary power consumption. As the power saving function, if the operation has not been performed for a certain period of time by monitoring the timer, a function to automatically enter the power saving mode and turn off the power, and a function to turn off the power by a manual power saving mode transition switch are known. Have been.

In an electronic device having this kind of power saving function,
Before turning off the power, the state of the hardware is saved to an external storage device such as a nonvolatile memory or a hard disk, and then the power supply to the hardware is cut off. However, the main power supply of the apparatus remains ON, and power is supplied to a necessary minimum part. Also, when returning from the power saving mode and using the electronic device again, it is generally necessary to supply the power to the hardware, reset the saved contents to the hardware, and return to the state before the power was turned off. Is being done.

As described above, generally, in portable electronic devices,
Power saving function that effectively uses the power supply and improved operability that when power is turned off to save power, processing can be resumed immediately from the state immediately before the power was turned off when returning from the power saving mode. .

[0005] By the way, in terms of improvement of operability, a function of automating routine work and simplifying input operation is considered useful. For this reason, a function of executing a predetermined batch file or shell at the time of system startup and saving the trouble of setting has been widely used. For example MS
-A function of automatically setting a system environment by describing it in a batch file called autoexec.bat in DOS or automatically starting a desired application after completion of system startup is widely used.

In particular, in portable electronic devices, automation of routine work as described above greatly contributes to improvement of operability. This is because portable electronic devices are often used in unstable installations while they are moving, and the key pitch of the keyboard is small. Is specialized, and the application to be used tends to be limited.

[0007] As an example of realizing a routine work automation function in a portable electronic device, when a system is started by turning on the power while pressing a key assigned to each application in advance, e-mail is checked after the system is started. There is a function that can automatically execute an application that is set in advance according to the key. In other words, it automatically performs the operation up to the start of the favorite software when the power is turned on in combination with the keys on the keyboard. It can be launched much faster and with less manual intervention than traversing the hierarchy from the menu to find the desired application.

[0008]

In a portable electronic device having a power saving function, the user rarely turns off the main power of the device, and generally, the power is cut off and returned using a power saving mode. Will be Therefore, improvement of operability at the time of power-off and return using the power saving mode is an important issue.

For this reason, the routine work automation function of the portable electronic device of the prior art is also applied to the process of returning from the power saving mode. However, since the start processing of the specified application or file (generation of the execution environment of the specified application, for example, storage of the specified application in the main memory, expansion of the file, etc.) is performed in the return processing, the user resumes work accordingly. There is a problem in that the waiting time until it can be made longer, and as a result, the return time is sacrificed in exchange for the simplification of the input operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to start an application or a file (for example, by storing an application in a main memory) which has been automatically performed in a conventional recovery process. , Opening a file, etc.)
As a result, an object of the present invention is to realize an electronic device that can easily and quickly provide a user with a desired work environment when returning from the power saving mode.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a power saving function of shutting off power to hardware except for a minimum necessary part while keeping a main power on. In the electronic device, register applications and files used by the user after returning,
During or immediately before shifting to the power saving mode, the registered application or file is automatically started without any user operation, and the user can use the application or file after returning. After an operation environment is generated (for example, an application is stored in a main memory and a file is opened), the execution environment is stored in a non-volatile storage device to enter a power saving mode. Note that, as a process of generating an application execution environment at the time of shifting to the power saving mode, a function of automatically terminating an application that is running outside of registration and exists may be included. As a result, the execution environment after the return can be further optimized according to the user's preference.

When returning from the power saving mode to the power saving mode in which power is supplied to the hardware of the electronic device again, the application execution environment which is saved in the nonvolatile storage device and is to be used after the recovery is restored to the main storage or the general-purpose register. Reconfigure to hardware. This resetting process is the same as a generally performed return mechanism. After supplying power,
By resetting the saved contents to the hardware,
Returns to the state before the power was turned off. The operating environment at this time is the operating environment of the application desired by the user.

According to the present invention, when shifting to the power saving mode (or immediately before), an application or a file designated by a user is automatically started (generation of an execution environment) to automatically execute the process. Since the time required to return from the power saving mode is reduced apparently while reducing the user's manual operation and the waiting time of the user is reduced, an electronic device capable of returning from the power saving mode easily and quickly can be realized.

According to the present invention, the time from the start of the transition to the power saving mode to the completion thereof may be longer, but the user is more likely to wait in the power saving mode than in the case of waiting for the power saving mode. In many cases, it is necessary to wait for a time until the environment in which work can be performed after returning from the operation mode. Therefore, it is preferable in terms of usability to realize a reduction in the return time from the power saving mode as in the present invention.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a portable electronic computer main body, to which a predetermined DC voltage is applied from a power supply circuit 2 as a power supply voltage. The power supply circuit 2 includes a main power switch 21 and a battery 22. The power supply circuit 2
Usually, when the AC plug 3 is connected to the connector,
The battery 22 is charged with a DC voltage obtained by rectifying the commercial AC power supply voltage from the AC plug 3. When the power switch 21 is turned on (main power supply is turned on), the DC voltage obtained by rectifying the commercial AC power of the AC plug 3 is Is output as the power supply voltage of the electronic computer 1. When the power switch 21 is turned on and the AC plug 3 is not connected to the connector, the power supply voltage from the battery 22 is applied to the computer main body 1.

The computer body 1 includes a central processing unit (C).
PU) 11, a main memory RAM 12, a ROM 13,
A monitoring timer 14, a power saving mode shift switch 15, a nonvolatile memory 16, and an external storage device 17 are provided. Note that a display device, a keyboard, and the like are omitted.
The CPU 5 is connected to the RAM 12, the ROM 13, the non-volatile memory 16, and the external storage device 17 via a bidirectional bus 18, and controls these operations. Hereinafter, a configuration related to the present invention will be described.

The ROM 13 stores various control programs. As programs related to the present invention, a diagnostic program 131 for performing each diagnosis and a power saving mode control program 132 for controlling the power saving mode are stored.

The monitoring timer 14 monitors the non-operation time of the computer, and outputs a detection signal when the non-operation time has elapsed for a predetermined time. The non-operation time monitored by the monitoring timer 14 is a time that can be set by the user, and can be set in minutes or hours. Usually, it is often set to about 10 minutes. The monitoring timer 10 may be in a disabled state in which the function is not used.

When the power saving mode shift switch 15 is turned on, the power supply circuit 2 is connected to each hardware of the computer main body 1.
Normal operation is enabled by applying the power supply voltage from
On the other hand, when the switch is off, the switch switches off the power supply voltage from the power supply circuit 2 and shifts to the power saving mode, except for a necessary minimum part of the hardware of the computer main body 1. Normally, the power saving mode shift switch 15 automatically turns on when the power switch 21 is turned on (main power is turned on).
Turns off by user operation. Like the monitoring timer 14, the power saving mode transition switch 15 can be set to a state where its function is not used.

The nonvolatile memory 16 is a readable and writable memory that retains its stored contents even when the power is turned off. The non-volatile memory 16 has an application automatic start program 161 and an automatic start application registration file 162.

The power-saving mode control program 132 is executed by the computer when a detection signal indicating that the non-operation time has passed from the monitoring timer 14 is input, or when the power-saving mode shift switch 15 is turned off. Body 1
To start the power saving mode. The power-saving mode control program 132 calls the application automatic start program 161 immediately after the start of the power-saving mode transition.

Application automatic start program 16
Reference numeral 1 denotes a program for automatically starting a required application with reference to the automatically started application registration file 162 and the running application list file 173 when shifting to the power saving mode. The application auto-start program 161 skips the start process for an application registered in the auto-start application registration file 162 when the application is running, or conversely, when the unregistered application is running. , It can be automatically terminated, thereby further optimizing the use environment while eliminating unnecessary processing. The number of applications that can be automatically started may be one or more.

Automatic start application registration file 1
Reference numeral 62 denotes a file in which information referred to by the application automatic start program 161 is registered in order to determine an application to be automatically started when shifting to the power saving mode. The format example of the file 162 is shown in FIG.
Shown in In FIG. 6, reference numeral 1620 denotes startup application list information, and reference numeral 1624 denotes an unregistered application termination necessity flag. Launch application list information 162
0 indicates an application that is automatically started when the power saving mode is moved, and each line includes an ID (serial number) 1621, an application name 1622, and an execution file 1623. Unregistered application end necessity flag 162
Reference numeral 4 indicates whether or not to terminate an unregistered application when it is running. Here, when the flag 1624 is “1”, the processing ends.
If it is “0”, it is not terminated (while still running). The auto-start application registration file 162 is created and updated interactively with the user by the auto-start application registration file update program 171 as described later.

The external storage device 17 is a storage device for evacuating and storing each storage data of the computer before entering the power saving mode. The external storage device 17 may be a hard disk, a non-volatile memory, or the like. The external storage device 1
7 stores an automatic start application registration file update program 171, an active application list file update program 172, and an active application list file 173.

The automatic start application registration file update program 171 is a program for automatically registering and deleting the application information to be automatically started by the application automatic start program 161 after returning to the automatic start application registration file 162. The automatic startup application registration file update program 171 has a function of displaying a registration update (addition and deletion) screen on the display device, and allowing the user to update the registration content from the keyboard. FIG. 8 shows an example of the registration update screen. The registration update screen 800 includes input fields 801 and 802 for a start application name and an execution file name, a registered application display field 803, an unregistered application end flag specification field 803, and buttons 805, 806, and 807 for addition, deletion, and storage. Have.

The running application list file update program 172 is a program for updating the running application list file 173 when starting and ending each application. Specifically, the running application list file update program 17
2 registers the application in the activated application list file 173 when the application is activated, and deletes the application when it is completed.

Running application list file 17
3 is a running application list update program 17
2 is a file for storing a list of currently activated applications. FIG. 7 shows a format example of the running application list file 173. Each line of the running application list file 173 represents a running application, and includes an ID (serial number) 1731, an application name 1732, and an execution file name 1733, like the running application list information 1620 in FIG.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the application automatic start program 161 on the nonvolatile memory 16 is used.
The automatic start application registration file 162 may also be stored on the external storage device 17. In this case, it is not necessary to separately provide the nonvolatile memory 16.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
5 through FIG.

FIG. 2 is a processing flowchart from when the power switch is turned on to when a normal application operation environment is established. First, when the power switch 21 is turned on and the main power is turned on (step 201),
Under the control of the CPU 11, the control is transferred to the diagnostic program 131 in the ROM 13 (step 202), the diagnostic program 131 is executed (step 203), and the execution result is determined (step 204). As a result, if there is an abnormality, error processing is performed (step 205).

On the other hand, as a result of the execution of the diagnostic program 131, if everything is normal, the operating system (O
The bootstrap process of S) is performed (step 20).
6). By this bootstrap process, the OS is loaded into the RAM 12 of the main memory (step 207),
The OS operation is started (Step 208). Thus, an application operation environment by the user is established, and the application is executed (step 209).

In this application operation environment, the user is required to be in an activated state after the return, for example, because it is routinely used immediately after the return in preparation for the transition to the power saving mode. Register the desired application. FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the registration process.

First, in order to newly create the automatic startup application registration file 162 and update the registered contents,
The program 171 activates the automatically activated application updating means (step 501). The automatic startup application registration file update program 171 displays a registration update (addition and deletion) screen 800 as shown in FIG. 8 on the display device, and according to the user's input thereto (step 5).
02), and creates and updates the auto-start application registration file 162 as shown in FIG. 6 (step 5).
03).

The user enters the application name in the application name input field 801 and the corresponding executable file name in the executable file name input field 802 on the registration update screen 800.
, Input from the keyboard. When the add button 805 is pressed down in this input state, the contents input in the input fields 801 and 802 are additionally displayed in the field 803 of the registered application list. When the save button 807 is depressed in this state, the input content is saved in the automatic start application registration file 162. That is, the automatic start application registration file update program 171 changes the contents of the input fields 801 and 802 of the registration update screen 800 by the application name and the execution file name of the unregistered line in the start application list information 1620 of the automatic start application registration file 162. In columns 1622 and 1623.

Further, the user presses a delete button 806 in the registered application list column 803 of the registered update screen 800 in a selected state in which the name of the application whose registration is to be canceled is clicked. The display of the application name disappears from the column 803, and the save button 807 is displayed in this state.
When is depressed, the registration of the application is deleted from the auto-start application registration file 162. That is, the automatic start application registration file update program 171 executes the start application list information 16 of the automatic start application registration file 162.
The corresponding application name and executable file name are deleted from the corresponding columns 1622 and 1623 in 20. In addition,
If there is no change in the registered contents, the above update (addition and deletion of registration) operation is unnecessary.

The auto-start application registration file update program 171 displays the “end all non-registered applications that are running on the registration update screen 800” in the unregistered application end necessity flag column 1624 of the auto-start application registration file 162. "(0 or 1 = Yes or N)
o) Save.

On the other hand, the running application list updating program 172 executes the starting and ending of each application under the application operating environment.
The start application list file 173 (FIG. 7) is updated. That is, when starting the application, the name of the application and the name of the execution file are entered in the unregistered line fields 1732, 1
733, and upon completion, the application name and the execution file name are deleted from the corresponding fields of the start application list file 173.

In such an application operation environment, the monitoring timer 14 is operated without any operation by the user.
Accordingly, when it is detected that a predetermined time has elapsed, or when the user turns off the power saving mode transition switch 15 (step 210 in FIG. 2), the mode shifts to the power saving mode due to a special interruption or the like.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the process at the time of shifting to the power saving mode. When the monitoring timer 14 times out, or when the user turns off the power saving mode shift switch 15 (when the power switch 21 is turned on, the power saving mode moving switch 15 is automatically turned on), the power saving mode control program Control passes to 132 (step 301). The power saving mode control program 132 transfers control to the application automatic start program 161 (step 302). The application automatic start program 161 stores the automatic start application registration file 16.
2 and the registered contents of the running application list file 173 are referred to (step 303), and a starting process is performed for an execution file of a necessary application (step 304). Here, the application automatic start program 161 is used to execute the running application list file 1
For an application that does not exist in 73 and is registered in the automatic start application registration file 162, the application is started. Specifically, the application is started and the execution file is opened. Even if the application is registered in the automatic start application registration file 162, if the application exists in the active application list file 173, it is already running. ) Is not started. If the value of the unregistered application termination necessity flag 1624 in the auto-start application registration file 162 is 1 (Yes), the result of comparison between the registration contents of the auto-start application registration file 162 and the running application list file 173 is obtained. ,
If an unregistered running application exists in the file 162, the application automatic start program 1
61 automatically terminates the application.
Thereafter, control is returned to the power saving mode control program 132 (step 305).

The power-saving mode control program 132 first activates the RAM 126 of the main memory and general-purpose registers in the CPU 11 so that the state of the computer is not lost in the newly generated application execution environment even when the power is turned off. Is saved in the external storage device 17 (step 306). At this point, since the saving of the internal state of the computer has been completed, next, the power saving mode control program 132 cuts off the power supply to the hardware except for the minimum necessary part (step 307).
As a result, the computer main unit 1 enters the power saving mode state, and the contents of the RAM 12 and the like become indefinite.

Thereafter, when the power-saving mode shift switch 15 which is a factor that triggers the return is turned on (step 3).
08) and other factors (specific signal of modem, interruption by real-time clock alarm, user key operation, etc.) (step 308), the power saving mode is released.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the process at the time of canceling the power saving mode. When the power saving mode transition switch 15 is turned on, the control is transferred again to the power saving mode control program 132 (step 401). The power saving mode control program 132 determines whether to turn on the power or return from the power saving mode (step 402). Here, when it is determined that the main power switch 21 has been turned on, the main power switch 21 has been turned on from the off state.
Then, the control is passed to the diagnostic program 132. If it is determined that the power-saving mode is restored, the process proceeds to step 40.
3 to step 404.

After step 404, the internal state of the computer is restored as follows. The power-saving mode control program 132 executes the
The contents saved in the external storage device 17 are read out, and are set again in the corresponding portions such as the RAM 12 of the main memory and the general-purpose registers in the CPU 11 (step 404). After this setting is completed, the program control is returned to the original state,
The application operating environment is restored (Step 40)
5). This recovered state is an application execution environment desired by the user started by the application automatic start program 161 at the time of shifting to the power saving mode. Since the desired execution file is open, the user can immediately start work.

When the monitoring timer 14 detects that a predetermined time has passed without any operation by the user in the above-mentioned user use environment state, or when the user turns off the power saving mode transition switch 15 (Step 406) The process again proceeds to Step 301 in FIG. 3 due to a special interruption or the like, and shifts to the power saving mode by the power saving mode control program 132.

Here, the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 to 4 and 5 show the processing procedures of a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy disk or a memory card.
It can be recorded on a compact disk (CD-ROM) and provided.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to quickly shift to the use environment desired by the user after returning from the power saving mode with a simple operation and quickly.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The designated file may be automatically started immediately before the start of the power saving mode transition, not during the power saving mode transition processing. Also, the user can be registered as an object of automatic start when shifting to the power saving mode is an application name as described above, but it is also possible to register a file name and automatically start a designated file. Good.

As a method of identifying an application to be automatically started, a method of referring to a registered file having a specific file name has been described in the above embodiment, but a specific key is associated with the start of the application. Alternatively, a method may be used in which the off-operation of the power saving mode shift switch 11 and the specific key input are performed at the same time to identify the application associated with the key as the application to be automatically activated.

The state of the power saving mode to which the present invention is applied may be arbitrary. For example, it may be in hibernation or in a standby state.

[0050]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the electronic device having the power saving function, when shifting to the power saving mode, the startup process of the application is executed so that the time until returning from the power saving mode is reduced. In order to reduce the waiting time of the user by making it seemingly short, it is possible to easily and quickly return from the power saving mode. Therefore, the return from the power saving mode can be speeded up and the operability of the electronic device can be improved while effectively utilizing the power saving mode transition time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation from a power switch on to an application operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation at the time of transition to a power saving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation when returning from the power saving mode according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of creating / updating an auto-start application registration file according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a format example of an auto-start application registration file according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a format example of a startup application list file according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an example of a registration update screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable computer main body 11 Central processing unit (CPU) 12 RAM 13 ROM 131 Diagnosis program 132 Power saving mode control program 14 Monitoring timer for power saving mode transition 15 Power saving mode transition switch 16 Nonvolatile memory 161 Application automatic start program 162 Automatic start Application registration file 17 External storage device 171 Automatically started application registration file update program 172 Running application list file update program 173 Running application list file 2 Power supply circuit 21 Power switch 22 Battery 3 AC plug

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method for controlling a transition to a power saving mode in an electronic device having a power saving function, the method comprising: when transitioning to the power saving mode, starting an application to be operated after returning from the power saving mode; A method for controlling transition to a power saving mode of an electronic device, comprising: 2. An electronic device having a power saving function, means for registering an application to be operated after returning from the power saving mode, means for activating the registered application when shifting to the power saving mode, Means for saving the execution environment of the application in the activated state, shifting to the power saving mode, and reproducing the saved execution environment of the application when returning from the power saving mode. . 3. A computer-readable recording medium recording a control procedure for shifting to a power saving mode in an electronic device having a power saving function, wherein an application scheduled to operate after returning from the power saving mode when shifting to the power saving mode. A process for activating the application, a process for saving the execution environment of the application in the activated state to shift to the power saving mode, and a process for reproducing the saved execution environment of the application when returning from the power saving mode. , A recording medium comprising: