JP2000172363A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To significantly reduce power consumption of an information processor with no deterioration of operability of the processor by providing a non-input detecting constitution to detect that the input information is interrupted to an information input part for a fixed period. SOLUTION: A 1st processing block 1 is connected to an information input block 97 including a keyboard 201 and then connected to a 2nd processing block 98 to which a display part having a memory effect is connected. The block 1 starts the stationary block 98 in response to the input of the keyboard 201, etc., and the supply of power to the blocks 1 and 98 or the operations of both blocks are stopped after the display of a display part is changed. At the same time, the display of the display part is held by the memory effect. Under such conditions, a clock is given to the block 1 and no clock is given to the block 98 nor to a display block 99. Then the operating clock frequency of an input part is set lower than the operating clock frequency of a main processing part, a register and an internal RAM part 205 respectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having a display element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as personal computers have become smaller and lighter, portable personal computers driven by batteries have appeared and are rapidly spreading. These are called notebook computers, which are small and lightweight, but have the same functions as stationary and laptop computers. Since it can be used with batteries, a new form of use has been created in which it is brought to a place where it is difficult to secure a power source, such as a conference room or a lecture room.

However, in such a use form, a problem that the usable time of the battery is short is becoming a problem. When used for recording a meeting in a conference room or recording a lecture in a university, it is desired that the battery can be used continuously for about 10 hours in one use. In view of the margin, a battery usable time of at least 20 to 30 hours, ideally 100 hours or more of a calculator is required.

On the other hand, the battery life of a notebook personal computer that can be actually obtained is only a few hours. Therefore,
During a long-time conference, the battery runs out, the power is turned off, and the input operation is interrupted. In addition, since the usable time of the battery is short, it is necessary to frequently charge the battery, which is troublesome.

[0005] Although the notebook personal computer is small and lightweight, the battery use time is short, so that the notebook personal computer has been inconvenient to use.

[0006] Considering existing pocket-type portable information devices such as calculators and electronic organizers, the processing speed of these devices is much lower than that of personal computers, so that their power consumption is correspondingly small. For this reason, even if the current primary battery is used, it can be used for several years and there is almost no need to care about the battery life. On the other hand, a notebook computer consumes much power because it has a processing speed as fast as a stationary computer. For this reason, power consumption is two to four digits greater than that of existing pocket-type portable information devices. Even with high-performance rechargeable batteries, current technology has the best battery life of 2-3 hours. As mentioned earlier, the user is not satisfied with this battery life. Various countermeasures are conceivable as power saving techniques to compensate for this short battery life, and some of them have been implemented.

Hereinafter, a conventional technique will be described.

First, what is generally called a “resume” function is mounted on some notebook personal computers.
This method employs a method in which, when a non-use state continues for a certain period of time, information necessary for restarting the last computer is saved in a nonvolatile IC memory, and the power of the CPU and the display unit is automatically turned off. When the power switch is turned on when the user wants to use the power again, the previous processing state and display contents at the time of power-off are restored in a short time based on the saved information in the IC memory. This method has a substantial effect of extending the use time and is practical.

However, if no key input is made at all for a certain period of time, for example, for five minutes, the entire power supply of the device is forcibly turned off.
Since the display disappears, the operator cannot confirm the display contents, and the operation is interrupted. To check the displayed contents or to continue the input operation again, it is necessary to turn on the power switch. This is annoying to the user. While this energy-saving method extends the life of the battery,
There was a drawback that the usability became considerably worse.

[0010]

In the above-mentioned conventional configuration, as a means for reducing power consumption, almost all power supplies including a main processing circuit section and a display circuit section are simply stopped. For this reason, as described above, the user automatically turns off the power after a certain period of non-use,
In the case of intermittent processing, it was necessary to frequently turn on the power of the apparatus. In the case of notebook computers, most of the users are performing intermittent processing, which has exacerbated this disadvantage.

[0011] The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and detects when a non-use state has continued for a predetermined time,
Another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus in which the power of the main processing unit is stopped when the main processing is completed, and the display on the display unit is continued at the same time.

[0012]

In order to achieve this object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises an information input unit for inputting information from outside, and a first information processing unit for processing information input from the information input unit. A processing unit, a second processing unit for processing at least information input from the information input unit or information from the first processing unit, and information processed by the first processing unit or the second processing unit And a non-input detection unit that detects that at least the input information to the information input unit is interrupted for a certain period of time. In particular, a feature is that a memory-type display element that continues display even when power is not supplied at all is used for a display portion.

[0013] When the no-input state continues with this configuration, the processing of the processing unit or the display unit is stopped or the function is reduced, and the power wave consumption is reduced. However, in the present invention, the display contents are maintained even in this case. When the key input is restarted, the processing of the drive circuit is restarted according to the main processing unit and display. For the user, the operation can be performed as if the power supply had not been interrupted. Therefore, remarkable power saving can be achieved without impairing the operability at all, and the continuous usable time when using the battery can be greatly extended.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The information processing apparatus includes four blocks: an information input unit 3, a first processing block 1, and a second processing block 99.

First, when an information input unit 3 such as a keyboard receives a key input from a user or an external input from an information input unit such as a communication interface, the information processing apparatus performs a first operation.
Information is passed to processing block 1. The first processing unit 4 detects which key of the key input has been pressed or what information has been entered from the outside, and determines the next processing based on the information in the first memory 5.

First, as shown in FIG. 2A, when there is no input information in the fixed time information input unit 3 and when the operation of the second processing unit 7 is completed, the interruption processing unit 6 controls the second processing unit 7 Further, the clock signal is stopped and / or the power saving process is forcibly performed on the display circuit unit 8.

The power saving method will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2A, when there is an nth key input to the information input unit 3 at t = t1, this information is sent from the information input unit 3 to the first processing unit 4.

The contents of the key input are determined by the first processing unit 4 and only when the processing of the second processing unit 7 is necessary, the processing is transmitted to the second processing unit 7 via the interruption control unit 6 and the start command line 80. A start command is sent to force the second processing unit 7 to start, and the second processing unit 7
Send information to As shown at t = t3 in FIG. 2C, the second processing unit 7 performs a process according to the input after being activated, and after completion of the second processing unit 7, sends an end signal to the first processing unit 4. The sending first processing unit 4 or the interruption control unit 6 has a start command line 80
Is sent to the second processing unit 137 via the. Then, the second processing unit 7 obtains information on the final processing content, for example, RA
The contents of the M memory, the contents of the register, and the like were temporarily saved in the second memory 9. Thereafter, as shown at t = t5 in FIG. 2C, the processing of the second processing unit 7 is stopped or the function is reduced, the power consumption is largely reduced, and the apparatus enters the power saving mode. Even after t = t5 when the second processing unit 7 is stopped, the second memory 9 is backed up by a battery or a nonvolatile memory is used, so that the memory contents are preserved. When a display change is necessary, the second processing unit 7 sends display change information to the first processing unit 4. The first processing unit 4 sends a display start command to the display circuit 8 via the display start command line 81 to start the display circuit. As shown in FIG. 2D, the information processed at t = t4 is sent to the display circuit section 8, and the display circuit 8 calls up the image of the previous display content from the video memory 82 or the second memory 9, and 2 Create a new image based on the display change and information sent from the processing unit 7.
Then, the processing information is displayed on the display unit 2. Thereafter, at t = t6, the display circuit 8 sends its own command or end signal to the first processing unit 4 via the interruption control unit 6 and stops the operation of the display circuit 8 such as the clock based on the instruction of the first processing unit 4. Alternatively, the speed is reduced to enter the display power saving mode, and the power consumption of the display circuit 8 thereafter is greatly reduced as shown at t = t6 or later in FIG.

After t = t6, the display circuit unit 8 is stopped or almost stopped, but the display contents are held because the display unit 2 is composed of an element having a memory effect such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal. . Here, the contents of the display unit 2 will be described. In the case of a simple matrix liquid crystal, the display section 2 has electrodes in a matrix as shown in FIG. It comprises a horizontal drive line 13 and a vertical drive line 14 in two horizontal and vertical directions connected to the horizontal drive unit 11 and the vertical drive unit 12. FIG. 4 shows one state of the pixel with the application of the voltage.

In each pixel, a signal is applied to a ferroelectric liquid crystal 17 by electrodes formed by horizontal drive lines 13 and vertical drive lines 14 provided on glasses 15 and 16.

FIG. 4A shows a state when light is not transmitted. By applying a signal, the direction of the ferroelectric liquid crystal 17 changes, and the polarization angle of transmitted light changes. By forming a polarizing plate, light is transmitted in this state.

Next, when a reverse voltage is applied, the direction of the ferroelectric liquid crystal 17 changes, and the polarization angle of the transmitted light is rotated by 90 degrees.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the polarizing plate prevents light from passing. One of the features of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is a memory effect.
As shown in FIG. 4C, the same state as that of FIG. 4B is maintained even when the power supply is stopped. Therefore, the display is continued without operating the display circuit 8 from t = t6 to t = t14 described below. In this manner, the power saving mode is set after t = t6, and the information input unit 3 and the first processing unit 4 only operate.

The first processing unit 4 performs only processing such as conversion of a key input into a character code. Since this key input is manually performed by a human, it can be input at most several tens of times per second. The human input speed is several orders of magnitude slower than the processing speed of the microcomputer. Therefore, the processing speed of the first processing unit 4 may be as low as a calculator. Therefore, the power consumption is several orders of magnitude lower than that of the CPU of the stationary personal computer. As shown in FIG. 2B, the first processing unit 4 is a power switch 20 of the information processing apparatus 1.
, But the power consumption is low, so that the total power consumption can be suppressed.

Next, when there is an (N + 1) th key input at t = t11, the first processing unit 4 determines the content of the key input at t = t12, and if necessary, via the interruption control unit 6, or An activation command is sent directly to the second processing unit 7 to activate it. The second processing unit 7 restarts the processing by the clock based on the start command, and the information entered in the second memory unit 9, that is, the information at the previous stop at t = t5, for example, the memory contents, register information, display contents, etc. The information is read, and the CPU environment at t = t5 is completely restored. Thereafter, at t = t13, information from the first processing unit 4 is sent to the second processing unit 7, and the processing is restarted. Since the processing speed of the second processing unit 7 is increased so as to enable high-speed calculation, the power consumption is close to that of a general personal computer. If run continuously, the battery life is short, just like existing laptops. However, in the present invention, since the power saving mode is intermittently entered, the power consumption is reduced accordingly.

The power saving mode will be described.
In the case of P software etc., the time required for one processing is usually 1m
s or less. On the other hand, the key input by a human is several tens ms at the fastest. Accordingly, the peak power consumption of the second processing unit 7 from t13 to t15 is large as shown in FIG.
The average power consumption is several tenths to several hundredths of this peak value. In other words, significant power saving can be achieved by the power saving mode.

At t = t14, the second processing unit 7 sets the display unit 2
To send only the information that has changed the display contents.

Before t = t14, the display unit 2 continuously displays the display contents changed at t = t6 due to the memory effect of the ferroelectric liquid crystal 17, even if the display circuit 8 is not operating. I have. At t = t14, partial rewriting is performed only on the portion whose display content has been changed based on the key input at t = t11. This partial rewrite is performed on a specific horizontal drive line 1
By applying a voltage to 3 and a specific vertical drive line 14, display contents for one to several lines are changed. In this case, the processing time is shorter than that of the entire rewriting, and the power consumption is correspondingly reduced.

At t = t15 in FIG. 2c, the second processing unit 7
Stops the operation and enters the power saving mode again. T of FIG. 2c
The second processing unit 7 saves the last processing information in the second memory 9 when the processing of the second processing unit 7 is completed before t = t15 or when a termination instruction is received from the first processing unit 4. .

Next, at t = t14, the second processing section 7 stops or slows down its operation, and enters the low input mode. t = t21,
When input information comes at short intervals such as t31, t41, and t51, for example, in the case of a plurality of key inputs and inputs from communication ports, as shown in FIG. 2c, t = t23, t33, and t43, and power saving. Enter mode. If the first process 4 determines that the interval of the input information is shorter than the predetermined interval, the first process 4 issues a power saving mode stop command, and as shown at t = t43 and thereafter in FIG. The processing unit 7 is not forcibly terminated, and does not enter the reduced input mode. Then, when the interval of the input information becomes longer, the power saving mode is started as before.

When the first processing unit 4 detects that there is no key input for a certain period of time, the main operation including the first processing unit 4 is stopped, the power is turned off, and the apparatus enters a power stop mode. However, the memory contents are backed up by a battery.
The power is almost completely turned off.

However, before the power is turned off, the first processing unit 4 sends a power stop display command to the display circuit 8 directly or via the second processing unit 7 to display the seventh display 21 as shown in FIG. After the display and the power stop display, the power supply stop mode is entered. Since the display unit 2 has a memory effect, this display is displayed even after the power is stopped, so that the user can distinguish between the power saving mode and the power stop mode.

In the power saving mode, the operation is restarted by key input, and the user does not need to be aware that the operation has been interrupted.

However, in the case of the power supply stop mode, since the display of the power supply stop is displayed, the user turns on the power switch 20 so that the second processing unit 7 stores the previous processing from the second memory 9. The state can be restored, and the next work that is continuous from the previous one can be started. This part is the existing "Resu
Same as "me" mode.

Here, the above operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step 101, the power supply S
When WON is performed, the first processing unit 4 starts operating in step 102. In step 103, input information such as a key input from the information input unit 3 is sent to the first processing unit 4, and in step 104, it is determined whether or not the input has been interrupted for a predetermined time. Input interruption time: when t is large Step 105
If the second processing unit 7 is operating, the process returns to step 103, and if not, the entire power supply of step 106 is turned off.
The operation is stopped at step 107 until the power SW of step 101 is pressed.

Returning to step 104, if the input interruption time t is several minutes, the process goes to step 108 and the first processing unit 4 and the second
If the processing frequency of the processing unit 7 is low, the power supply of the backlight in step 108 is turned off, and the power saving mode of the backlight is entered.

Here, returning to step 104, if the input interruption time t is short, the processing of the first processing unit in step 110 is checked in step 110a whether the display has continued for a long time. The display of the display unit 2 is refreshed in step 110b to prevent the display from being fixed, and the processing frequency of the second processing unit is determined in step 112a. If it is small, go to step 111.
If it is determined in step 111 that the processing of the second processing unit 7 is not necessary, the process returns to step 103.

If it is determined in step 111 that the processing of the second processing unit 7 is necessary, the process proceeds to step 112. a
If the second processing unit 7 is not operating in step 112, the process proceeds to step 113a, and an instruction to activate the second processing unit 7 is issued to the second processing unit 7. In response, step 11
In 3, the second processing unit 7 is activated by the first processing unit 4 and the interruption control unit 6, and in step 114, the processing of the second processing unit is started. If it is determined in step 115 that the display has been changed, the second processing unit 7 proceeds to step 116.
At a, display polarization information is given to the interruption control unit 6 and the first processing unit 4. Then, in step 116b, the interruption control unit 6 sends a display unit activation command to the display block 99. Step 116c
The display circuit 8 is activated in step 117, and the display is changed including partial rewriting of the display unit 2 in step 117. After the display change is confirmed in step 118, display completion information is sent to the first processing unit 4 in step 117a. At step 117b, a display completion command is received, and at step 119, the operation of the display unit is stopped.

Here, when the process returns to step 115, the process returns when there is no display change. After confirming the completion of the processing of the second processing unit 7 in Step 120, the completion information of the second processing unit is generated in Step 120a, and the function of the second processing unit 7 is stopped in Step 121 in response to the processing unit end command. After step 1
It returns to the state of 03.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are block diagrams showing a case where the first embodiment is specifically configured as a notebook personal computer.

Referring to FIG. 8, the information input block 97 includes a keyboard 201, a communication port 51 of RS232C, and a floppy disk controller 202.
Separately, there is a hard disk 203. The first processing block mainly includes a first processing unit 4. In the second processing block 98, there is a second processing unit 7 which employs a CPU of a system that enters a power saving mode by stopping the clock and returns by supplying the clock, and a bus line 210 is connected. The bus line 210 includes a ROM 20 for booting.
4, a second memory 9 composed of a DRAM, and a backup RAM 205 composed of an SRAM for storing information for restoring each part from the resume state at the time of resume. The first processing unit 4 and the display block 99 are connected to the bus line 210. The display block 99 includes a graphic controller 20 as a display circuit.
6 and a liquid crystal controller / driver 207 are included. There is also a video RAM 209 and a liquid crystal 208. By setting some of the above components to the operating state as needed and setting the remaining components to the stop state, power saving can be achieved. Table 1 shows this power saving method.

[0043]

[Table 1]

During normal input such as WP, intermittent keyboard input is performed. Therefore, the power supply is
Set to ON state. Then, a clock is applied to the first processing block 1 and no clock is applied to the second processing block 98 and the display block 99. Therefore, power consumption occurs only in the first processing block. If necessary, a clock is supplied to the second processing block 98 and the display block 99 to start them intermittently for a short time. Next, at the time of frequent processing, the second processing block 98 is always in a clock operating state to increase the processing speed.

If there is no keyboard input for a certain period of time, the second
The power supply of the processing block 98 is stopped, the contents of the memory are backed up, and the operation is restored when the next keyboard input is received.

FIG. 8 is almost the same as FIG. 7, except that the first processing section 4 having a low clock frequency is used as the whole "monitor", and the actual processing is performed by the second processing section 7 having a high clock frequency.
Shows the case of performing this. The first processing unit 4 is a keyboard 2
In this method, the second processing unit 7 is activated every time in response to a keyboard input of 01 to perform an event process. After the processing is completed, the second processing unit is stopped to save power. Stop until the next keyboard input. Display block 9
9 starts based on the display signal from the second processing unit 7 and automatically stops after the display is completed. The method of FIG. 8 has an effect of operating on an OS close to the conventional OS, and the compatibility with conventional software is enhanced. Conventional MS-DOS is designed to operate with one CPU. In the method of FIG.
Can be regarded as two, so there is a possibility that compatibility problems may occur when running conventional application software. Further, even if there is no compatibility problem, the power saving effect is reduced in the conventional OS.
Therefore, by installing the conventional OS, the dedicated OS for 2 CPUs of the present invention, and the dedicated software, when the WP software is used, the software for the dedicated OS of the present invention is operated, and several tens to
Reduce power consumption by several hundredths. And general-purpose software
An OS for a conventional OS is used. In this case, the power saving effect decreases. Actually, about 80% of the notebook PCs are used for WP, so this configuration can greatly reduce power consumption.

FIG. 9 is another specific block diagram of the first embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a flowchart. This is MS-
This discloses a method for operating with a conventional OS such as DOS. The second processing unit 7 uses a CPU that retains information such as a register and an internal RAM even when the clock and the power supply are stopped. If there is a key input in step 251, the first processing unit 4 sends a keyboard code signal from the keyboard 201 to the activation unit 221 which is always in operation in step 252. Step 253 activating unit 22
1 sends a clock to the main processing unit 222 in the sleep state to make the main processing unit 222 active. Register 224 and internal RAM 2
Since 23 is backed up, it is activated instantaneously by clock supply. In step 254, the main processing unit 222
Is stopped in a state in which the program is in the input standby state, and the program starts from this state. Then, in step 255, a keyboard input is received and program processing such as WP is performed. In step 256, depending on the processing,
If necessary, at step 257, a display command is output to rewrite the display. In step 256, the graphic controller 206 is started, and in step 259, the video RAM 20
9 is rewritten, the liquid crystal controller driver 207 is activated in step 260, and the liquid crystal 208 of ferroelectric liquid crystal is partially rewritten in step 261.
After backing up the VRAM 209 at 62, the display block 99 stops and enters a power saving mode at step 263. After the processing of the second processing unit 7 is completed in step 270,
In step 271, the running program is stopped at the stage of “keyboard input standby state”. In step 272, the contents necessary for restoring the register 223 and the internal RAM 234 and the like and the second memory 9 are backed up.
Stop the PU clock. In step 273, the second processing unit 7 stops and enters the power saving mode. However, starting unit 2
Since the key 21 is activated, it is set in an input standby state until a new keyboard input or an input from the communication port 5 is received in step 251. Therefore, in the second processing block 98, only the activation unit 221 is operating. In the method shown in FIG. 9, even when the CPU stops the clock, the contents of the registers and the like can be backed up and held. With the clock restart,
It uses a CPU that returns instantaneously. One CPU is mainly operated. Therefore, there is a feature that a conventional OS can be used. Conventional software such as WP can be used with a small change, so that there is a great effect that conventional software assets can be used. Therefore, at present, it can be said that it is a very realistic method. By directly rewriting the display by the first processing unit 4 as in the second embodiment described later, the power consumption can be further reduced.

When there is no keyboard input for a long time, a resume mode is entered and most power is turned off. In particular, a ferroelectric liquid crystal has a memory effect. However, when the same display content is continuously displayed, a permanent memory effect called a quasi-stabilization phenomenon appears. In order to avoid this, the timer 22 is used in the power saving mode or the power stop mode.
Determines that the display has continued for a certain amount of time,
A display change command is sent to the first processing unit 4 and the power switch 20, and the display circuit 8 rewrites all or a part of the display content of the display unit 2 to prevent a permanent memory phenomenon.

In the event that a permanent memory phenomenon occurs and a part of the display unit 2 cannot be changed in display, the temperature of the display unit 2 is raised via the heater 24 by the display reset SW 23 to adjust the arrangement of the liquid crystal. The display content of the display unit 2 can be changed again.

In the power saving mode, the power can be reduced by stopping the clock of the second processing unit 7. To further reduce the power, the interruption control unit 6 supplies power to the second processing unit 7 or the display circuit 8. By stopping the operation, more complete power saving can be achieved.

In the power stop mode, only the power backup of the second memory 9 consumes power.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the battery is used, the backlight 25 is turned off and the reflection element 27 is operated via the reflection circuit 26 to use the battery in the reflection mode.

The reflection element 27 as shown in FIGS.
The transmission shown in FIG. 12A is performed by using the transmission mode and the scattering mode of a film-like ferroelectric liquid crystal element.
It is possible to switch between reflection and transmission using the reflection shown in FIG. The incident light 32 is irregularly reflected by the reflection unit 27 and is reflected light 33.
Becomes In this case, the number of components of the polarizing film can be reduced by also using the polarizing plate of the display unit 2 and the reflective element 27. In addition, by using a film-like electrochromic display element, two modes of a transmission state and a white irregular reflection state such as white paper can be realized.

The reflecting element 27 may be of a fixed type as shown in FIGS. The reflection element 27 is composed of a light transmission part including a low-refractive-index light transmission part 28 and a high-refractive-index light transmission part 29, and a reflection part 31 partially having an opening 30.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the light from the backlight unit 25 enters the light-refractive-index light transmitting unit 29.
The light is totally reflected at the interface with the low-refractive-index light transmitting portion 28, enters the polarizing plate 35 from the opening 30 as shown in the drawing, enters the liquid crystal portion 17 after being polarized, and is radiated to the outside to provide a bright display. Done.

Next, when the battery is used in the reflection mode, the external light 32 passes through the liquid crystal unit 17 and is reflected by the reflection unit 31 made of aluminum or the like, as shown in FIG. The reflected light 33 passes through the liquid crystal 17 and is displayed outside.

Since the reflection section 27 does not require an external drive circuit, there is an effect that the entire configuration is simplified. The method of producing the light refractive index and the low refractive index can be easily prepared by a method of invading a molten salt, which is generally used for a gradient index lens.

The transmissive / reflective liquid crystal display has a problem in that the display quality is inferior to that of the transmissive / reflective liquid crystal display. However, by switching between reflection and transmission, either display during transmission or reflection is performed. The effect that the same display as that of the dedicated type can be obtained is produced. For this reason, it is suitable for dual power supply use of battery and AC.

When an external power supply is used, the backlight 25 is turned on by a command from the first processing unit 4 and the first
A transmission command is sent from the processing unit 4 to the reflection circuit 26, and the reflection element 27 is in a transmission state, and the display becomes very bright due to the transmitted light as shown in FIG.

Next, when a battery is used, a reflection command is sent from the first processing unit 4 to the reflection display circuit 26, and the reflection element 2
Numeral 7 is in a reflection state including diffuse reflection, and as shown in FIG. 12B, display is performed by light reflected by external light. In this case, power consumption is reduced by the amount of the backlight 25.

As shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), by using a reflection / transmission plate 34 provided with a tapered hole in a metal plate such as aluminum, as shown in FIGS.
The same effect as (b) is obtained.

With the above configuration, the CPU operates intermittently in response to intermittent key inputs, and the average power consumption is greatly reduced.

In this case, since the display is continued, even if the operation of the processing unit is stopped, the user does not feel any discomfort at all. For this reason, there is an effect that power can be significantly saved without impairing operability at all.

Specifically, the key input cycle is several tens of meters.
On the other hand, in the case of WP software or the like, one CPU processing time is several tens to several hundreds μs on average, so that the operation time of 1/100 to 1/1000 of several tens ms is sufficient. For this reason, the power consumption is reduced in conjunction with the intermittent operation. However, only the intermittent operation of the CPU causes the display unit to consume 0.5 to 1 W, or about 10 to 20% of the total power. Therefore, even if the power consumption of the CPU is reduced to 1/1000, the display unit operates. If it is 1/10 to 1/5 before the countermeasure
Power consumption will remain. In the present invention, since a display element having a memory effect such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal is used for the display unit, the power consumption required for the display can be intermittently operated similarly to the CPU.

Therefore, in the case of a key input application such as WP, the total power consumption can be reduced to 1/100 to 1/1000.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 15 is a block diagram of one embodiment. In the second embodiment, the function of the first processing unit 4 is strengthened, and the operation frequency of the second processing unit 7 that consumes a large amount of power is further reduced, so that lower power consumption is achieved.

The difference of the structure of the first embodiment from that of FIG.
There is a signal line 97 for transmitting a display instruction signal from the processing block 1 to the display block 99. The first processing unit 4 in the first processing block 1 directly issues an instruction change signal to the display circuit 8 in the display block 99 to change the display content on the display unit 2. In the first embodiment, the second processing unit 7 includes the display circuit 8
To give the display change signal.

FIG. 16 illustrates a block diagram related to the first processing unit 4 in more detail.
The memory section 5 has a first font ROM section 40 for storing dot patterns of fonts such as alphabets and kana in a ROM or the like, an image memory section 41, and a general memory section 42.

As shown in FIG. 11, a second font ROM 43 in the second memory 9 can be used as a font memory.

Therefore, the following series of simple display changing processes can be performed only by the first processing unit 4. A character code is generated based on a key input, and a font pattern corresponding to the character code is stored in the first font ROM 40 or the second font R.
The display can be displayed on the display unit 2 via the display circuit 8 by reading from the OM unit 43. The second memory 9 contains the second
There is a general memory 44.

That is, when inputting a data character string that does not involve a large process, the first processing unit 4 consuming less power mainly performs a display change process. When a large process is required, the second processing unit 7 having a large power consumption performs the process. As a result, the operation frequency of the second processing unit 7 is reduced, and more power is saved. In this case, as shown in FIG. 16, the memory of the first memory unit 5 can be reduced by calling the font pattern of the second font ROM 43 in the second memory unit 9.

The second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 18 and 19. The flowchart of FIG. 18 is basically the same as the flowchart of FIG. 6 of the first embodiment.

The difference is that the first processing unit 4 directly activates the display circuit 8. Therefore, step 130 and a display flowchart 131 are added. In step 130, if the display change is a simple display change that can be processed by the first processing unit 4,
When the processing unit 4 determines, the processing proceeds to the display flowchart 131. This will be briefly described. First, step 13
In step 2, the display block 99 is activated. In step 133, the display content is changed. After confirming the display change in step 134, the power of the display block is turned off in step 135, and the process returns to the standby state for information input in step 103. FIG. 19 illustrates the change of the display content in step 133 in more detail. In step 132, the first processing block 1
After the activation of the display block 99 in response to the activation signal of (1), if only the cursor is moved in step 140, the cursor is partially rewritten in step 141 as it is. If not, it is checked whether a display already exists in the input planned area of the display unit 2 in step 142. This is because the contents of the image memory unit 41 can be confirmed by the first processing unit 4. In the case of NO, the partial rewriting process of step 143 is performed as it is. If YES, step 14
Go to 4. In step 144, the display contents existing in the input planned area of the display unit 99 are checked in the image memory 41, and it is determined whether the previous display contents are necessary for the current display change. In the case of NO, it is only necessary to overwrite by partial rewriting in step 143. If yes, step 1
At 45, an image corresponding to the expected input area is called from the image memory 41 or the second font ROM 9,
The image to be newly displayed is synthesized in the future. In step 146, it is determined whether the mode is the black-and-white opposite mode, and YES
If so, in step 147, the corresponding portion of the image is displayed in an inverted manner. If NO, the display of the display change corresponding portion is partially rewritten in step 148, and the display change is confirmed in step 134, and the display block 99 is stopped in step 135.

More specifically, FIG. 20 shows the processing status of each unit in response to a key input. When t = t1, when there is a key input "I" shown in FIG.
The first processing unit 4 converts the character code "I" into a character code, reads a font pattern corresponding to the character code from the first font ROM 40 shown in FIG. 16, drives the display circuit 8, and causes the display unit 2 to display the character pattern shown in FIG. An indication "I" is generated. In this case, in the case of a memory effect type display such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal, partial rewriting can be performed. There are two methods for rewriting parts. One is to rewrite a dot portion to rewrite one point, and to rewrite all dots for one horizontal or vertical line. There is line rewriting. Naturally, dot rewriting consumes lower power, but requires a high voltage and increases costs. Even when rewriting one dot, it is necessary to rewrite the entire line, but a low voltage may be used. In the embodiment, both display methods will be described.

If the withstand voltage of the horizontal drive unit 11 and the vertical drive 12 shown in FIG. 3 is high, partial rewriting can be performed for each column of "I". Therefore, in this case, the first
The processing unit 4 only needs to generate information for one font corresponding to “I”. However, the cost of an IC with a high withstand voltage is high.
In order to reduce the cost, it is desirable that the withstand voltage is low. Therefore, in the current semiconductor process, it is necessary to cope with partial rewriting in units of rows in order to lower the required breakdown voltage.

In this case, the first processing unit 4 stores the first memory 5
Needs to have at least one row of image memory.

In the case of Japanese, the memory is 640 × 24 dots. In this case, to rewrite “I”,
It is necessary to rewrite one line, that is, 640 dots, for 24 lines.

The previous image is read from the image memory 41 of the first processing unit 5, the pattern of "I" is read from the first font ROM 40, and combined to form an image for one line. Based on this information, one line of the display unit 2 is rewritten via the display circuit 8. At the same time, the new one-line image is stored in the image memory 41. This completes the display change of “I”.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 16, when the second font ROM 43 is used, only one line of code information is required, so that the first font ROM 40 and the image memory 41 become unnecessary. In this case, one line of data is about
40 characters 2 byte characters, 40 x 2 per line =
80B is sufficient. In this case, the code information for the entire screen is
It can also be provided inside the memory 5.

The display of "I" is completed by the above two methods. In this case, the processing of the second processing unit 7 is not performed at all as shown in FIG.

Similarly, the display corresponding to the key input of “space” at t2, “L” at t3, “i” at t4, “v” at t5, and “e” at t6 is displayed only in the first processing unit 4. It is done in.
Although the processing speed of the first processing unit 4 is significantly lower than that of the second processing unit 7, the processing speed is sufficient to perform one-line display processing. Thereby, low power consumption is achieved.

FIG. 20t7 shows a state in which a key input for instructing a large amount of processing, for example, a spell check at the time of WP input, a translation processing from Japanese to English, and a kana-kanji conversion processing table operation instruction of Japanese is entered. Is shown.

In this case, the first processing unit 4 determines that the processing of the second processing unit 7 is necessary, and activates the second processing unit 7 at t71. This activation state is the same as that described in the first embodiment. The second processing unit 7 performs the processing at t71 as shown in FIG.
And returns to the processing state before the interruption, and the first processing unit 4
The information of the character string from is received and the processing is performed. If necessary, the display content of the display unit 2 is changed via the display circuit 8 at t72 as shown in FIG.

This process can be easily explained by using an input example of translation processing from Japanese to English. In FIG. 20f, t2
Then, K is inputted by a key, and K is displayed as it is in FIG. 20h. When "a" is input at t1, "ka" is displayed as shown in FIG. 20h.

Up to this point, the second processing unit 7 does not operate as shown in FIG. When the translation key is pressed at t7, the processing of the second processing unit 7 starts at t71, and the Japanese of "kareha" is translated into English of "He is" by the translation process. The result of this processing is sent to the display circuit 8, where dot rewriting is performed.

“He is” is displayed as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 20g, the power consumption at the time of dot rewriting is smaller than the power consumption at the time of line rewriting shown in FIG. 20d.

Next, using the black-and-white inversion mode as shown in FIGS. 21A and 21B to reduce the power consumption at the time of moving the cursor using FIG. 21, the power consumption is large in the case of line rewriting. . Therefore, by displaying the horizontal bar cursor using the lines between the lines as in (c) and (d) of FIG. 21, it is not necessary to rewrite the display of one line, and power can be saved. Further, since the processing speed is increased, the response speed is increased even if the processing is performed by the first processing unit 4 having a low speed. This is also effective in the dot rewriting mode.

As shown in FIG. 22A, a horizontal bar cursor is used only for moving the cursor. In this case, it is more effective to intermittently display black and white by the first processing unit 4 in order to make it stand out. Only when a key input is made as shown in FIG.
By this switching, at least the power consumption at the time of moving the cursor is reduced.

FIGS. 22A to 22H correspond to FIGS. 20 t1 to t7, and FIG. 22I shows a display at the time of reconversion.

FIGS. 23 (a) to (g) show the state when inserting and inputting into the text at the time of dot rewriting, and the second font RO
When M is used in the configuration of FIG. 16, not all kanji codes are stored in the first font ROM 40, so that one line of image information needs to be stored in the image memory 41. 23 (c) to (d), the image "n" is restored from the image memory 41 by the second processing unit 7 and the two font RO.
The display (d) can be performed without using M43.

FIGS. 24A to 24G show "He is man"
Indicates a state in which a character string is copied. (a) to (f) can be processed only by the first processing unit 4. (g) can be almost processed by the capability of the first processing unit 4 because an insertion process is required. The second processing unit 7 operates.

In the case of the second embodiment, most of the parts processed by the second processing unit 7 in the first embodiment are replaced with the first low-power-consumption parts.
Since the processing is performed by the processing unit 4, there is an effect that the average power consumption is further reduced as compared with the first embodiment.

[0093] However, the first WP or spreadsheet software may be used.
The optimum value of the sharing ratio between the processing unit and the second processing unit is different. Therefore, the first processing unit 4 can change the content of the assignment by software and optimize the balance between the power consumption and the processing speed. Also, as shown in FIG. 25, by adding the video memory 82 to the display block 99 and connecting the first processing unit 4 to the connection line 96, the previous display image can be stored in the video memory 82.
, The image memory 41 of FIG. 16A can be omitted.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 26 is a block diagram in the case of Embodiment 3. The difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is as follows.
As is apparent from FIG. 1, in the first embodiment, both the start command and the end command are sent from the first processing block 1 to the second processing block 98 via the start command line 80.
Further, both the start command and the end command are sent from the first processing block 1 to the display block unit 99 via the display start command line 81.

However, in the third embodiment, as is apparent from FIG.
There is no one. Next, on the start command line 80, only a start command is sent from the first processing block 1 to the second processing block 98, but no end command is sent.

At the stage where the second processing section 7 has completed the processing, the second processing section 7 performs the stop processing by itself and enters the power saving mode. The display block 99 is activated by issuing a display activation command to the display block 99 via the data line 84 when the second processing unit 7 determines that a display change is necessary, and is activated. When the display change of the display unit 2 is completed, the display unit lock 99 stops operating,
Enter display power saving mode. This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This flowchart is divided into three parts: a first processing step group 151, a second processing step group 152, and a display step group 153. First, the difference between the start and stop of the second processing block 98 will be described.

The flowchart of the first embodiment differs from FIG. 6 in that the second processing block 98, namely the second
There is no control flow from the processing step group 152 to the first processing block 1, that is, the first processing step group 151. That is, the first processing unit 4 sends an instruction to activate the second processing unit 7 to the second processing unit 7 in step 112, and the second processing unit 7 is activated. Only this point is common to the first embodiment. Regarding the stop, the function of the second processing unit is automatically stopped in step 121 without receiving the command from the first processing unit 4 different from the first embodiment. Then, in step 103, an information input standby state is set.

Next, the difference from the first embodiment in starting and stopping the display block 99 will be described.

In the first embodiment, the second processing section 7 sends a display start instruction to the first processing block 99 with the display completion information. However, in the third embodiment, the second processing block 98 sends a start command to the display block 99 in step 115a of FIG. 27, the display block 99 is started in display step 116, and the display contents are changed in step 117. After confirming the display change in step 118, in step 119, the display block 99 is stopped by itself.

As described above, the third embodiment has the same function as the first embodiment, but the stop of the second processing block 98 and the stop of the display block 99 are automatically performed.

The start command of the display block 99 is the second
Processing block 98 issues. Therefore, there is an effect that the load on the first processing block 1 is reduced, and not only the overall speed is increased but also the configuration is simplified.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 28 is a block diagram of a fourth embodiment. Fourth Embodiment A fourth embodiment discloses a power saving method according to the present invention when input / output such as communication with the outside is provided. The information processing apparatus has an input / output unit 50 for input / output with the outside in an information input block 97, in which a communication port 5 is provided.
1 and an external interface unit 52. When there is input / output, the operation is performed as shown in the timing chart of FIG. This operates in a manner similar to the timing diagram for key input shown in FIG. When the input from the communication port shown in FIG. 29A is t1 to t74, the communication port unit 51 in the input / output unit 50 sends a signal to the first processing block 1. At t1, the first processing unit 4 sends the input information to the display circuit 8 and operates as shown in FIG. 29D to display on the display unit e in FIG.
Rewrite as Then, the second processing unit 7 is activated at t = t71 as shown in FIG.

The second processing section 7 sends a start command at t = t7 to start the display circuit 8 and rewrite the display section 2. In the third embodiment, when there is input / output via communication or the like, the second processing unit 7 does not operate for an input that does not involve a large process,
The first processing unit 4 or the input / output unit 50 performs input / output processing and display processing. Therefore, there is an effect of saving power during the input / output operation.

In the fourth embodiment, since a solar cell is used, there is an effect that power consumption is further reduced and the device can be used for a long time.

[0105] There is also a surface that the solar cell does not operate if the light stops flowing. However, by disposing the solar cell 60 on the same surface as the display unit 2, when the solar cell does not operate, the display unit 2 does not operate.
I can't see the display contents or the keys on the keyboard.

Therefore, in reality, there is no problem. In a dark environment such as a WP input in a lecture during a slide show, the power supply holding circuit operates by key input, and the first
The processing unit 4 operates.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 30 is a block diagram of a fifth embodiment, in which a solar cell 60 is added as a power supply. Since the speed of the first processing unit 4 is low, the power consumption is extremely small. Therefore, it can be driven by a solar cell. The operation is almost the same as in the first embodiment, and the operation is not changed. However, in the case of a solar cell, the power supply is stopped when the amount of incident light is reduced. When the operation is stopped, first, the power supply from the power supply unit 61 is switched. When neither key input nor power supply from the solar cell 60 is lost for a long time, the power-supply stop mode is entered as shown at t = t61 in FIG. And stop the operation. In this case the power consumption is reduced. At t = t71, the solar cell 6
It starts when power is supplied from 0 or when a key is input from the information input unit 3, and the original operation is started again by the key input at t72.

Here, an example of a method of activating the first processing unit 4 by key input will be described. As shown in FIG. 32, the key input unit 62 of the information input unit 3 holds the voltage from the battery 64
Send to 3. Therefore, when the key is pressed, the holding circuit 63 sends power to the first processing unit 4 and activates the first processing unit 4.
At this time, the key input unit 62 simultaneously transmits the key input information to the first key input unit.
It is sent to the processing unit 4 and the processing is restarted. FIG. 33 is a block diagram when the first processing unit 4 and the second processing unit 7 are shared.

In this case, each key in the key input section 62 may have two kinds of power supply switch and key input SW.

The fifth embodiment is intended to further reduce the power consumption. The design allows for laptops that do not require battery replacement for more than a few years. In addition, as shown in FIG. 33, the first processing unit and the second processing unit may be combined into one and used in the first to fifth embodiments.

(Embodiment 6) Embodiment 6 is an 8 mm CD-RO.
This is a case where the present invention is applied to an information processing apparatus using an optical disk such as M.

FIG. 34 is a block diagram. The information input block 97 includes a CD-ROM drive 3 of a CD-ROM.
01 and the keyboard 201 are connected.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view. The CD-ROM player 312 has a keyboard 201 and a liquid crystal 208 CD-R.
When an optical disk 315 such as an OM is inserted into the optical disk insertion unit 316, an activation signal is generated in the activation unit 221 in FIG. 34, and the second processing unit 7 is activated.

Also, a code signal is sent from the first processing unit 4 to the starting unit 221 by the input from the keyboard 201, the second processing unit 7 is started, and the second processing unit 7 stops after the processing is completed. This is the same as the embodiment.

[0115] This feature is that the power consumption of the portable device such as a CD-ROM player can be extended by the power consumption. In particular, the feature of the present embodiment is that the starting unit 221 starts in response to the insertion signal from the CD drive 301.
The second processing unit 7 is activated by inserting or removing the optical disk 315 such as a D-ROM.

(Embodiment 7) Embodiment 7 shows a case where the present invention is applied to a digital tape recorder. FIG. 36 and FIG. 37 show an application example of a digital audio tape recorder 312 such as a DAT and the like.
With. By inserting the digital audio tape 313 into the cassette insertion slot 314, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 36, an insertion signal from the digital tape drive 311 causes the starting unit 221 to be connected via the first processing unit 4.
And the second processing unit 7 is activated.

When the second processing section 7 is started and stopped by inserting and removing the digital audio tape 313, there is an effect that the operation starts in conjunction with the insertion and removal of the tape by the operator.

According to our simulation, W
When operated with P software and the average power consumption is 5 W without using the present invention, it becomes several tens mw by using the present invention. Therefore, even a conventional secondary battery can be used for several hundred hours, and a primary battery such as a highly efficient lithium battery can be used for more than 1000 hours.
In other words, a notebook personal computer that lasts one year or more even when used for five hours a month can be used without replacing batteries for a long time like a pocket calculator. At this time, the development direction has been accelerated and the number of pixels has been increased. The user is released from the hassle of charging. The present invention releases a notebook computer from a power cord and a charger. Conventionally, attention has been paid to the application of ferroelectric liquid crystals to high speed and high resolution. The point of view of the present invention is to focus on the reduction of power consumption, which has not been noticed at all in ferroelectric liquid crystals.

This type of focus has never been focused on, and the effect on power saving of highly functional portable information devices such as notebook personal computers, which are expected to grow in the future, is high.

Although a ferroelectric liquid crystal is used as a display element having a memory effect as an example, it can be used as another memory type display element such as a smectic liquid crystal or an electrochromic display element. Although the liquid crystal has been described as an example of a simple matrix drive type liquid crystal, a TFT liquid crystal drive can also be used.

[0121]

As described above, the present invention provides an information input unit for inputting information from the outside, a first processing unit for processing information input from the information input unit, and at least a first processing unit for processing information input from the information input unit. A second processing unit that processes the input information or the information from the first processing unit; and a display unit that displays the information processed by the first processing unit or the second processing unit. By using a display element having a memory effect, an excellent information processing apparatus capable of greatly reducing power consumption without impairing operability at all is realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a display unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the operation principle of the display unit in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a screen view of a display unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is another block diagram showing the configuration of a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is another block diagram showing the configuration of a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is another block diagram of a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an operation principle diagram of a reflection element in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation principle of a reflector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the operation principle of another reflector according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram around a first processing unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram around another second processing unit in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a timing chart for explaining Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a display state diagram of a cursor for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a front view of a display unit at the time of translation processing for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a front view of an additional input display unit for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a display diagram in a copy mode for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram of a modification for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram for explaining a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a timing chart for explaining Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

FIG. 30 is a block diagram for explaining Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

FIG. 31 is a timing chart for explaining Example 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a block diagram of an information unit input unit for explaining a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 33 is a block diagram illustrating a first processing unit and a second processing unit for explaining a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 34 is a block diagram for explaining Embodiment 6 of the present invention;

FIG. 35 is a perspective view for explaining Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 36 is a block diagram for explaining Embodiment 7 of the present invention;

FIG. 37 is a perspective view for explaining Embodiment 7 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 first processing block 2 display unit 3 information input unit 4 first processing unit 5 first memory unit 6 interruption control unit 7 second processing unit 8 display circuit unit 9 second memory 11 horizontal drive unit 12 vertical drive unit 20 power switch Reference Signs List 24 heater 25 backlight 26 reflection circuit 27 reflection element 30 opening 32 incident light 33 reflected light 34 reflection transmission plate 40 first font ROM 43 second font ROM 82 video memory 98 second processing block 99 display block 201 keyboard 202 floppy disk Controller 204 ROM 205 Backup RAM 206 Graphic controller 207 Liquid crystal controller / driver 208 Liquid crystal 209 Bus

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Yoshinori Kobayashi, Inventor 1006, Kazuma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Uemura 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first block having an input section for inputting information from the outside, a second block having a main processing section, a register and an internal RAM, and clock control for controlling or generating an operation clock of the second block. An information processing apparatus comprising: a / supply unit; a power control unit that controls power supply to each unit of the first block and the second block; and an output data processing unit that processes output data of the second block. A first state in which clocks of the main operation unit, the register, the internal RAM, the input unit, and the output data processing unit are operated; and the main operation unit, the register, the internal RAM, the input unit, and the output. A second state in which a clock of a processing unit is operated to supply power to the output data processing unit and stop the clock of the output processing unit; and a clock operation of the input unit And stopping the clock operation while supplying power to the main processing unit, the register, and the internal RAM, holding the data in the register, and supplying power to the output data processing unit to stop the clock. In the third state, when there is an input from the outside of the information processing device to the input unit, the input unit sends the input to the main processing unit and the register or / and the RAM unit. A signal is sent to start the clock operation of the main processing unit and the register and / or the RAM unit. In the first state, the operating clock frequency of the input unit is changed to the main processing unit, the register, and the internal unit. Information processing characterized by being lower than the operating clock frequency of the RAM unit. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the first state, when the output data processing unit is not used, the output data processing unit shifts to the second state. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the third state, the operation clock of the output data processing unit is stopped, instead of being stopped. 4. A first block having an information input section for inputting information from outside, a main processing section, a register and an internal RAM.
An information processing apparatus comprising: a second block having: a clock control / supply unit that controls or generates an operation clock of the second block; an interface unit for inputting / outputting data to / from the outside; and a power supply control unit. A first state for operating clocks of a main operation unit, the register, the RAM, the activation unit, the input unit, and the interface unit; the input unit, the main operation unit, the register, and the internal R;
A second state in which the clock of the interface unit is stopped while the AM is clocked; and a power is supplied to the main arithmetic unit, the register, and the internal RAM while the input unit is clocked. A second state in which the clock operation is stopped while retaining the data, and the clock of the interface unit is stopped. In the second state, an input from the outside of the information processing apparatus to the input unit is made. In this case, a signal is sent from the input unit to the main operation unit and the register or / and the RAM unit and the interface unit, and the main operation unit and the register or / and the RAM unit and / or the interface unit are sent. And in the first state, The information processing apparatus operating clock frequency of the serial main processing unit and said register internal RAM section is equal to or higher than the operating clock frequency of the input unit.