JP2001197197A - Portable telephone set and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prolong a time capable of speaking by suppressing power consumption without damaging convenience concerning a portable telephone set which has a function except for a speaking function, to be powered by a battery. SOLUTION: In a portable telephone set 1, which has the function except for speaking, to be powered by the battery provided in a power source part 22, a function to be limited at the time of battery decrease is selected out of respective functions provided with the portable telephone set 1 by operating an input part 14 beforehand and the remaining power of the battery corresponding to the selected function is stored in a storage part 13. When using the portable telephone set 1, the remaining power of the battery is detected by a CPU 11 and corresponding to the detected remaining power of the battery, the execution of the function stored in the storage part 13 is limited.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable telephone having a function other than a telephone call, and a storage medium storing a control program for the portable telephone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, miniaturization of portable electronic devices has been remarkably progressed. Among the components of portable electronic devices, batteries account for a large proportion of both volume and weight,
Special emphasis is placed on miniaturization of the battery part. While recent technological advances have increased the capacity per volume of batteries, the power consumption of mobile phones has
It tends to increase further.

For example, there is a portable telephone provided with a function such as a digital still camera and a game. Also,
Those equipped with a color liquid crystal display screen have also been put to practical use.
Such a function is convenient, but as the frequency of use increases, a large amount of power is consumed other than for calls. Therefore, various power control methods have been proposed as measures for suppressing the power consumption of the portable telephone.

[0004] For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-271193, a portable telephone having a function of displaying the remaining battery level in detail has been proposed. In this proposal, the remaining battery level display with excellent visibility is performed using an LED or the like. However, if the user does not pay attention to the remaining battery level after visually checking, it is possible to obtain an effect of suppressing power consumption. Can not.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-209953 proposes to add various restrictions to the communication function in accordance with the remaining amount of the battery. That is, as the remaining battery power decreases, control such as lengthening the intermittent reception cycle and limiting calls is performed. In this proposal, the function is restricted so that the minimum required function is left with the consumption of the battery. However, there is a possibility that the convenience of the user may be impaired due to the restriction of the communication function. In particular, the functions required of the mobile phone differ depending on the usage of each user. Therefore, if the functions are uniformly restricted, the convenience may be significantly impaired.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-184576 discloses a portable communication terminal having a plurality of functions together with a telephone function, when the remaining battery power becomes smaller than a predetermined value, the telephone function is realized. Proposals have been made to stop power supply to other than blocks. Although this proposal has an advantage that the operation time as a telephone can be maintained for a long time, if the restriction is made uniformly in a device having a plurality of functions, the convenience may be impaired if the method does not conform to the usage of the user.

[0007]

As described above, in a portable telephone having a plurality of functions as well as a call function,
When power consumption is suppressed, there is a problem that convenience may be significantly impaired.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable telephone which is operated by a battery and has functions other than a telephone call function, while suppressing power consumption without impairing convenience and extending a time during which a telephone call is possible.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a portable telephone (1) according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a battery and restricts execution of a predetermined function according to the remaining amount of the battery. Setting means (for example, the input unit 14 shown in FIG. 1) for selecting a function to be restricted from functions executable by the mobile phone and setting a remaining battery level corresponding to the selected function. Storage means (for example, a function restriction table 13b shown in FIG. 2B) for storing the function selected by the setting means and the set battery remaining amount in association with each other; The remaining amount detecting means (for example, the CPU 11 performing the processing shown in steps S2 and S3 in FIG. 3) and the remaining amount of the battery detected by the remaining amount detecting means are stored in the storage means. The function limiting means for limiting the execution of the function (e.g., CPU 11 to perform the process shown in step S8 in FIG. 3) is characterized by comprising a, a.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a portable telephone having a battery and restricting the execution of a predetermined function in accordance with the remaining amount of the battery, the portable telephone can be executed by the setting means. Among the functions, the function to be restricted is selected, the remaining battery level corresponding to the selected function is set, and the selected function and the set remaining battery level are stored in the storage unit in association with each other. The remaining amount of the battery is detected by the remaining amount detecting unit, and the execution of the function stored in the storage unit in association with the detected remaining amount of the battery is limited by the function limiting unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer-executable program for controlling a portable telephone having a battery and restricting the execution of a predetermined function according to the remaining amount of the battery is stored. A storage medium, wherein a program code for selecting a function to be restricted among functions executable by the mobile phone and setting a remaining battery level corresponding to the selected function; and A program code for storing the function and the set battery remaining amount in the storage unit in association with each other, and a program code for detecting the battery remaining amount;
A program including a program code for restricting execution of a function stored in the storage unit in association with the detected remaining battery level is stored.

Therefore, when the remaining battery capacity is reduced, the execution of the functions stored in association with the reduced remaining battery capacity is limited. , The suspension of the portable telephone can be postponed. For example, if the execution of all functions other than the call function is restricted, only the call function can be maintained for a long time to avoid a situation in which a call cannot be made. Then, the function limited by the decrease in the remaining battery level and the remaining battery level at which the restriction of the function is started are set by the setting unit and stored in the storage unit. Unrestricted functions can be set arbitrarily according to the usage of the user. Thereby, since the user's usage method and environment are finely corresponded and the function suitable for each user is restricted, the battery life can be extended without fear of impairing the convenience.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the portable telephone according to the first aspect, the battery is a rechargeable battery, and the battery is limited by the function limiting unit after the battery is charged. It is characterized by further comprising a restriction release means (for example, CPU 11 for performing the processing shown in steps S4 and S5 in FIG. 3) for releasing the restriction on the function (1).

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the portable telephone according to the first aspect, the battery is a rechargeable battery, and is limited by the function limiting means after the battery is charged. The restriction on the middle function is released by the restriction release means.

Therefore, when the battery is charged and the remaining battery level is restored, the restriction on the restricted function is automatically released, so that there is no unnecessary restriction. For this reason, it is possible to limit the functions to the minimum necessary level, and there is no possibility that the convenience is impaired.

The third aspect of the present invention is the first or second aspect.
3. The portable telephone according to claim 2, wherein the remaining amount detecting unit includes a voltage detecting unit that detects a power supply voltage value supplied from the battery (for example, a CP that performs the process of step S2 in FIG. 3).
U11) and a remaining level determining unit (for example, as shown in FIG. 3) that determines a remaining level corresponding to the power supply voltage value detected by the voltage detecting unit from a plurality of remaining levels indicating the remaining amount of the battery. CPU1 that performs the process of step S3
1) wherein the setting means selects a function to be restricted and sets a remaining amount level corresponding to the function, and the storage means selects the remaining level. The function and the remaining amount level set for the function are stored in association with each other, and the function limiting unit stores the function in the storage unit in association with the remaining amount level determined by the remaining level determining unit. The execution of the set function is restricted.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the portable telephone according to the first or second aspect, the remaining amount detecting means detects the power supply voltage value supplied from the battery by the voltage detecting means, The remaining amount level corresponding to the detected power supply voltage value is determined from a plurality of remaining amount levels indicating the remaining amount of the battery by the amount level determining unit, and the setting unit selects the function to be restricted and performs the determination. A remaining level corresponding to the function is set, the storage means stores the function selected by the setting means and the remaining level set for the function in association with each other, and the function limiting means includes a remaining level determining means. The execution of the function stored in the storage means in association with the remaining amount level determined by (1) is restricted.

Therefore, while detecting the power supply voltage value of the battery, the remaining battery level can be easily detected. On the other hand, when the function is selected by the setting means and the remaining battery level is set, the voltage value itself is not used. Instead, the remaining battery level may be set according to a plurality of levels. For this reason, the setting by the user is very simple and easy to understand, and the convenience can be improved.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of portable telephone 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a mobile phone 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1
1, RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, storage unit 1
3, an input unit 14, a display unit 15, a voice recognition unit 16, a voice synthesis unit 18, a communication unit 20, a power supply unit 22, and the like. These units are connected to each other by a bus 23. A microphone 17 is connected to the voice recognition unit 16, a speaker 19 is connected to the voice synthesis unit 18, and an antenna 21 is connected to the communication unit 20.

The CPU 11 reads and executes various system programs stored in the storage unit 13 to control driving of each unit of the control system. Also, CPU
Reference numeral 11 executes various processes such as a call originating process and an incoming call answering process in accordance with an instruction input from the input unit 14.

The CPU 11 reads and executes various application programs stored in the storage unit 13 and data relating to the application programs, and executes various functions according to an input instruction from the input unit 14. . For example, when an instruction to start a game is input from the input unit 14, the CPU 11 reads and executes a game program in the storage unit 13, reads data for screen display from the storage unit 13, and displays a display included in the display unit 15. A game screen is displayed on the screen, and various games are played. In addition, the CPU 11 reads music data specified by an input operation on the input unit 14 from the storage unit 13 and executes a reproduction process of the music data. Further, C
The PU 11 executes the rewriting of the telephone directory data stored in the storage unit 13 in response to the input operation on the input unit 14, or a predetermined time from the speaker 19 at the time set by the input operation on the input unit 14. Various operations such as an alarm operation for outputting a sound are executed.

The CPU 11 detects the remaining battery level by obtaining the power supply voltage supplied from the power supply unit 22 as needed, and executes a function limiting process described later. Then, based on the settings in the function restriction table 13b set in advance, functions other than the call function of the mobile phone 1 are sequentially restricted according to the remaining battery level.

The RAM 12 forms a work area for temporarily storing various programs executed by the CPU 11 and data relating to these programs.

The storage unit 13 includes a storage medium such as a rewritable semiconductor storage element such as a flash memory. In the storage medium, a basic control program of the mobile phone 1 executed by the CPU 11, various application programs, and the like. , And data related to these programs. For example, the storage unit 13 stores telephone numbers of communication destinations in the past, telephone numbers received in the past, and telephone directory data in which a plurality of names and names and telephone numbers corresponding to each name are set. MP3 (MPEG-1 Layer
-3) Music data that conforms to compression formats such as
Various types of data such as game scores are stored. The storage unit 13 stores a remaining level determination table 13a and a function restriction table 13b that are referred to by the CPU 11 in a function restriction process described later.

The input unit 14 includes various keys such as numeric keys, character keys, various function keys, and direction instruction keys.
When each of these keys is operated, an operation signal corresponding to the operated key is output to the CPU 11.

The display unit 15 has a display screen such as a liquid crystal display panel. Based on display information input from the CPU 11, the contents of the input operation at the input unit 14, the call state of the portable telephone 1, the telephone of the call destination Display numbers, game screens, etc. Further, the display unit 15 includes a backlight device (not shown) on the back side of the liquid crystal display panel, and illuminates the liquid crystal display screen when operating the input unit 14, calling, receiving a call, and the like.

The voice recognition unit 16 includes a microphone 17, analyzes voice detected by the microphone 17, generates data indicating voice, and outputs the data to the CPU 11.

The voice synthesizer 18 includes a speaker 19,
An audio signal is synthesized based on the audio information input from the CPU 11, output to the speaker 19, and output audio from the speaker 19. Further, the voice synthesizing unit 18 includes the CPU 11
Causes the speaker 19 to output a sound based on the sound information input from the CPU 11 when executing the alarm operation. The voice synthesizer 18 may have a headphone terminal to which various headphones can be connected in addition to the speaker 19.

The communication section 20 has an antenna 21 and transmits and receives radio signals to and from a base station (not shown). Specifically, when a radio signal indicating an incoming call is received by the antenna 21, a signal indicating the incoming call is output to the CPU 11 to execute an incoming notification operation for the user, and the input unit 14 is operated by the user, When a call origination instruction is input from the CPU 11, a wireless communication line is connected to a base station (not shown). In addition, the communication unit 20
A position signal indicating the current position of the mobile phone 1 is transmitted from the antenna 21 to the base station at predetermined time intervals.

The power supply section 22 has a built-in rechargeable battery (not shown) such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel hydride battery, and supplies power from the battery (not shown) to each section of the portable telephone 1. .

Here, the configuration of each table stored in the storage unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
5A is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a table in a storage unit, FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of a remaining level determination table 13a, and FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of a function restriction table 13b.

As shown in FIG. 2A, "remaining level" and "voltage value" are set in the remaining level determining table 13a in association with each other. In the mobile phone 1, C
The PU 11 determines the remaining amount of the battery included in the power supply unit 22 based on the power supply voltage value obtained from the battery.
In many cases, the remaining battery capacity and the voltage value do not correspond linearly. Generally, the power supply voltage value supplied from the battery gradually decreases with the consumption of the battery, and rapidly decreases from the time when the battery is consumed to some extent. Therefore, when estimating the remaining battery level from the power supply voltage value, it is necessary to measure the voltage drop of the battery to be used in advance and to store the drop pattern. It is difficult for the user to determine the remaining battery level based on the value.

Therefore, in the portable telephone 1, the remaining battery level is divided into a plurality of levels, and the power supply voltage value serving as the threshold value of each level is determined by the remaining level determination table 1.
3a. Then, the CPU 11 obtains the power supply voltage value of the power supply unit 22 and determines the “remaining level” corresponding to the remaining level of the battery by referring to the remaining level determining table 13a. Therefore, in the mobile phone 1, various settings and display guidance relating to the remaining battery level can be performed based on the “remaining level”.

Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 2A, four levels of remaining levels 0 to 3 are set in the remaining level determination table 13a. Level 0
Is a state in which the battery is hardly consumed, and levels 1, 2, and 3 sequentially correspond to a smaller remaining battery level. The power supply voltage of the power supply unit 22 corresponding to each level is set. For example, level 1 corresponds to the case where the power supply voltage is 3.50 to 3.35 V (volt), and the power supply voltage of the power supply unit 22 is set. If the value is “3.20V”, the CP
U11 determines the remaining battery level as “level 2” by referring to the remaining level determination table 13a. Note that FIG.
The remaining level determination table 13a shown in (a) is an example, and is not limited to the specific numerical values shown in FIG.

Next, the configuration of the function restriction table 13b will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the function restriction table 13b. As shown in FIG. 2B, the function restriction table 13b
Items of “function”, “remaining level”, and “limit flag” are provided.

In the item of “function”, a function to be controlled according to the remaining battery level among various functions of the portable telephone 1 is set. In the example shown in FIG. 2B, functions such as a game, music playback, telephone directory editing, and alarm are set. For the convenience of the user, this "function" item may have a configuration in which all settable functions are listed in advance, or only a function selected from the settable functions. May be listed.

Then, a remaining level for limiting each function is set in association with each function. For example, the function of “music playback” is limited when the remaining battery power reaches “level 2”. Further, the “alarm” function is not limited by the remaining battery level because the remaining level is set to “none”.

The setting contents of these functions and the remaining level items are appropriately set / changed according to the usage of the user by inputting an instruction from the input unit 14.

A "restriction flag" is set in the function restriction table 13b. This flag indicates the restricted state of each function. When the “restriction flag” is ON, it indicates that the function is restricted, and the “restriction flag”
OFF indicates that the function is not restricted. Therefore, the example shown in FIG. 2B indicates that the game function is restricted. This “restriction flag” is used during the operation of the mobile phone 1 to perform a function restriction process described later (FIG. 3).
Is set / changed.

Next, the operation of the portable telephone 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a function restriction process performed by the mobile phone 1.

In the function restriction processing shown in FIG.
11 first determines whether or not the battery of the power supply unit 22 is being charged (step S1). If the battery is not being charged, the process proceeds to step S2, and if the battery of the power supply unit 22 is being charged, the process waits in step S1 and proceeds to step S2 after the charging is completed.

In step S2, the CPU 11
The value of the power supply voltage supplied from the battery included in 2 is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the remaining battery level is determined with reference to the remaining battery level determination table 13a (FIG. 2A) based on the power supply voltage value acquired in step S2.

Then, the CPU 11 shifts to step S4 to determine whether or not there is a function whose restriction should be released. That is, after the remaining battery power is reduced and various functions are restricted,
When charging is performed and the remaining battery level is restored, there is no need to restrict functions. In step S4, referring to the function restriction table 13b (FIG. 2 (b)) based on the remaining battery level determined in step S3, the function whose restriction flag has been turned on, the function whose restriction should be released Is determined.

If there is a function whose restriction should be released in step S4, the CPU 11 moves to step S5 to release the restriction of the corresponding function and to set the restriction flag set in the function restriction table 13b. Is turned off, and the process proceeds to step S6. Also, in step S4,
If there is no function whose restriction should be released, step S5
The process moves to step S6 without performing the process of (1).

In step S6, the presence / absence of a function to be restricted is determined by referring to the function restriction table 13b based on the remaining level determined in step S3. If there is no function to be restricted, the process returns to step S1. If there is a function to be restricted in step S6,
7 and the restriction flag of the corresponding function (FIG. 2B)
) Is turned on. here,
If the restriction flag has already been turned on, the process returns to step S1.

In step S7, if the restriction flag of the function determined to be restricted in step S6 is OFF, the CPU 11 shifts to step S8 to execute the function expression for restricting the execution of the function. The processing is executed, and the restriction flag of the function restriction table 13b is set to ON.

Then, the process shifts to step S9 to display on the display unit 15 a guidance display indicating that the function is restricted according to the remaining battery level, and returns to step S1.

As described above, according to the portable telephone 1 in the embodiment of the present invention, the remaining battery level of the battery provided in the power supply unit 22 is detected (steps S2 and S3), and the detected remaining battery level is detected. The execution of the function set in the function restriction table 13b (FIG. 2) is restricted (steps S6 to S8). For this reason, by restricting the execution of the less urgent functions and suppressing the power consumption, the suspension of the portable telephone 1 due to the complete consumption of the battery is postponed and the minimum required function duration is extended. can do.

The functions and the remaining level set in the function restriction table 13b can be set / changed by operating the input unit 14, so that the functions and the remaining level which are restricted in accordance with the usage of the user can be set. Can be set. For this reason, the necessity of each function and the priority of each function at the time of restriction can be determined according to the actual use conditions, so that there is no possibility that the convenience is greatly impaired by setting apart from the actual situation.

Further, in the portable telephone 1, the power supply voltage value supplied from the battery of the power supply section 22 is detected (step S2), and the remaining power level determination table 13a is detected.
Is determined on the basis of (step S
3) Use the determined remaining battery level as a measure of the remaining battery level. For this reason, the setting in the function restriction table 13b can also be performed based on the remaining amount level, and can be performed by a very simple and easy-to-understand operation as compared with the case where the voltage value itself is handled, so that the convenience can be improved.

After the battery provided in the power supply section 22 is charged (step S1), the remaining battery level is determined, and if a function that should not be limited by the remaining battery level is restricted. Performs a process of releasing the restriction on the function (steps S4 to S4).
5). As a result, when the battery is charged and the remaining battery level is restored, the restriction is automatically released. Is not unduly impaired.

In the above-described embodiment, the portable telephone 1 is configured to be able to execute various functions such as game, music data reproduction, telephone directory editing, alarm operation, etc., in addition to the communication function. The present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be configured to include a digital still camera, or may be configured to have a television receiving function. Also, the remaining level determination table 1 shown in FIG.
Each numerical value of 3a is given as an example, and is changed according to the characteristics and specifications of the battery included in the power supply unit 22. Further, in step S1, a standby state is set while the battery is being charged. However, the processing may be shifted to step S2 to perform the processing during charging, and other detailed configurations may be arbitrarily changed. It is.

[0053]

According to the portable telephone according to the first aspect of the present invention and the storage medium according to the fourth aspect, when the remaining amount of the battery is reduced, the battery is stored in association with the reduced remaining amount of the battery. Since the execution of the function is restricted, the stop of the portable telephone due to the complete exhaustion of the battery can be postponed by suppressing the power consumption. For example, if you restrict the execution of all functions except the call function,
By maintaining only the call function for a long time, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a call cannot be made. Then, the function limited by the decrease in the remaining battery level and the remaining battery level at which the restriction of the function is started are set by the setting unit and stored in the storage unit. Unrestricted functions can be set arbitrarily according to the usage of the user. As a result, it is possible to extend the battery life without impairing the convenience, since the functions corresponding to the usage and the environment of the user are finely controlled and the functions suitable for each user are restricted.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the battery is charged and the remaining battery level is recovered, the restriction on the restricted function is automatically released, so that unnecessary restriction is made. There is no. For this reason, it is possible to limit the functions to the minimum necessary level, and there is no possibility that the convenience is impaired.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the remaining battery level can be easily detected by detecting the power supply voltage value of the battery, while the function is selected by the setting means to set the remaining battery level. In this case, the remaining battery level may be set based on a plurality of remaining levels, not the voltage value itself. For this reason, the setting by the user is very simple and easy to understand, and the convenience can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone 1 according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams schematically showing a configuration of each table stored in a storage unit 13 shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A shows an example of a remaining level determination table 13a, and FIG. It is a figure showing an example of table 13b.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a function restriction process executed in the mobile phone 1 shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 mobile phone 11 CPU 12 RAM 13 storage unit 14 input unit 15 display unit 16 voice recognition unit 17 microphone 18 voice synthesis unit 19 speaker 20 communication unit 21 antenna 22 power supply unit 23 bus

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A portable telephone having a battery and restricting the execution of a predetermined function in accordance with the remaining amount of the battery, wherein a function to be restricted is selected from functions executable by the portable telephone. Setting means for setting the remaining battery power corresponding to the selected function; storage means for storing the function selected by the setting means and the set remaining battery power in association with each other; And a function restricting unit that restricts execution of the function stored in the storage unit in association with the remaining battery level detected by the remaining level detecting unit. Mobile phone. 2. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said battery is a rechargeable battery, and further comprising restriction release means for releasing restriction on the function being restricted by said function restriction means after the battery is charged. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The battery level detection means detects a power supply voltage value supplied from the battery, and a voltage level detection means based on a plurality of levels of the remaining power level indicating the remaining capacity of the battery. Remaining level determining means for determining a remaining level corresponding to the set power supply voltage value, wherein the setting means selects a function to be restricted and sets a remaining level corresponding to the function. Wherein the storage unit stores the function selected by the setting unit and the remaining amount level set for the function in association with each other, and the function limiting unit determines the remaining amount level. 3. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein execution of a function stored in said storage means is restricted in association with a remaining amount level determined by said means. 4. A storage medium storing a computer-executable program for controlling a portable telephone having a battery and restricting execution of a predetermined function according to a remaining amount of the battery, A program code for selecting a function to be restricted from the functions that can be executed by the mobile phone, and setting a remaining battery level corresponding to the selected function, and the selected function and the set remaining battery level. And a program code for storing the remaining battery level in the storage unit, and executing the function stored in the storage unit in association with the detected remaining battery level. A storage medium storing a program code for restricting the following, and a program including: