JP2001298402A - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable terminal, that prevents its internal circuit from being an operation defective state or an operation disabled state, even under a low temperature environment and prevents a capacity of a battery from being rapidly decreasing. SOLUTION: The portable terminal, having a portable phone battery 17 that supplies power to a portable phone circuit section 12, is provided with a heater 16 that is built in a phone main body 1, a power supply section 11 that supplies power from the mobile phone battery 17 to the heater 16, a temperature sensor 14, a user interface 13, and a control section 15 that applies on/off control to a switch in the power supply section 11 on the basis of a sensed temperature from the temperature sensor 14 and an input signal from the user interface 13 to control the power supplied to the heater 16. The control section 15 applies on-control to the switch in the power supply section 11, when the sensing temperature by the temperature sensor 14 is a prescribed temperature set internally or below to supply power to the heater 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable terminal device having a drive power supply for supplying electric power to an internal circuit, and more particularly, to an internal circuit of a device body and a drive power supply by providing a heating element. The present invention relates to a portable terminal device capable of increasing the temperature of a portable terminal (that is, keeping the temperature).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile phones have been rapidly spread due to their ease of use. Since mobile phones can be easily used outdoors, their use environment is often more severe than that of conventional phones installed and used in homes. For example, use environment such as outdoor use at midnight in the middle of winter or use environment for emergency communication when climbing winter mountains can be considered.Use in such low temperature environment is not possible with mobile phones. This is a sufficiently conceivable use form.

[0003]

However, if a mobile phone is used for a long time or carried for a long time in such a low-temperature environment, the internal circuit of the mobile phone is in a malfunctioning state or inoperable due to the influence of the low temperature. There was a problem that it could fall into a state. Further, in a low-temperature environment, there is a problem that the capacity of a secondary battery as a power source is rapidly reduced, so that a call cannot be made or a call time is reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to prevent an internal circuit from malfunctioning or inoperable even in such a low temperature environment. An object of the present invention is to provide a portable terminal device capable of preventing a rapid decrease in battery capacity.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention relates to a portable terminal device having a driving power supply for supplying power to an internal circuit, comprising: a heating element built in a device main body; A power supply unit for supplying power to the heating element from the driving power supply, and a control unit for controlling the power supply to the heating element by controlling on / off of the power supply unit. .

According to the present invention having such features,
Even if the mobile terminal device is left in a low-temperature environment for a long time, the internal circuit and the secondary battery that is the power supply are heated by the heating element, causing malfunction of the internal circuit and a rapid decrease in the battery capacity of the secondary battery. Such a situation is avoided, and a favorable use environment can be maintained.

In the portable terminal device according to the present invention, a temperature sensor is provided in the device main body, and the control means controls the power supply means when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than a predetermined temperature set inside. Is turned on to supply power to the heating element.

According to the present invention having such features,
If the operating environment of the mobile terminal device is below a certain temperature, the user can automatically supply power to the heating element and heat the internal circuit and the secondary battery. In addition, the mobile terminal device can always be maintained in the best state without worrying about the operating environment of the mobile terminal device.

Further, the portable terminal device of the present invention is characterized in that the device main body is provided with a user interface, and the control means performs on / off control of the power supply means in accordance with an input instruction from the user interface.

According to the present invention having such features,
According to the operating environment in which the portable terminal device is installed, the user issues an input instruction from the user interface to start power supply to the heating element, so that the internal circuit and the secondary battery can be warmed. In addition, the portable terminal device can always be maintained in the best condition.

Further, the portable terminal device of the present invention is characterized in that the driving power supply is a secondary battery provided in the device main body. Further, the portable terminal device of the present invention includes a connection terminal to which an external power supply device can be connected, and the driving power supply is an external power supply device connected to the connection terminal.

According to the present invention having the above features,
Power can be supplied to the heating element from one or both of the secondary battery and the external power supply device.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing Embodiment 1 of a mobile phone which is an example of the mobile terminal device of the present invention.

In this portable telephone, a power supply unit 11, a portable telephone circuit unit 12, a user interface 13, a temperature sensor 14, a control unit 15, and a heating unit A body 16 is provided.
In addition, a cell phone battery (which is a secondary battery in the claims) 17 that supplies power to the cell phone circuit section 12 and the heating element 16 through the power supply section 11 can be attached to the telephone body 1. I have. Further, the telephone body 1 is provided with a connection terminal 18 to which an external power supply device 19 can be connected.

In the first embodiment, a heating element 16 and a temperature sensor 14 are built in the telephone body 1 in the first embodiment.
The power supply unit 11 is characterized in that a mechanical switch is provided.
The control is performed by turning on and off the mechanical switch. Temperature sensor 14 detects the temperature inside telephone body 1. That is, the operating environment temperature of the mobile phone circuit 12 and the mobile phone battery 17 is detected.

FIG. 5 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a mechanical switch. The mechanical switch includes a switch S1 for supplying power from the battery 17 for the mobile phone to the heating element 16 and a switch S2 for supplying power from the external power supply device 19 to the heating element 16, Each switch S
1, S2 are turned on by a control signal from the control unit 15,
It is designed to be turned off. Such mechanical switches S1 and S2 are mainly composed of an electromagnetic relay switch or the like, but a switch circuit using such an electromagnetic relay switch or the like is a conventionally well-known technology. Omitted.

That is, the control unit 15 controls the temperature sensor 14
The mechanical switches S1 and S2 of the power supply unit 11 are controlled to be turned on and off by using one of the input of the input signal from the user interface 13 by the user's intentional input operation and the temperature detected by the user. Has become.

More specifically, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 14 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, 10 ° C.) set inside, the control unit 15 controls the mechanical operation of the power supply unit 11. The switches S1 and S2 are turned on to supply power to the heating element 16 from the external power supply device 19 connected to the cell phone battery 17 and the connection terminal 18,
The heating element 16 is heated to heat the mobile phone circuit section 12 and the mobile phone battery 17. Further, when an ON instruction signal for causing the heating element 16 to generate heat is input from the user interface 13, the control unit 15 controls the mechanical switches S1 and S2 of the power supply unit 11 to be ON based on the ON instruction signal. Power is supplied to the heating element 16 from the external power supply device 19 connected to the cell phone battery 17 and the connection terminal 18 to cause the heating element 16 to generate heat. warm.

On the other hand, the control unit 15 determines that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 14 is a predetermined temperature (for example, 2
If the temperature exceeds 0 ° C., the mechanical switches S1 and S2 of the power supply unit 11 are turned off to stop supplying power to the heating element 16. Further, when an OFF instruction signal for stopping heat generation of the heating element 16 is input from the user interface 13, the control unit 15 controls the mechanical switches S1 and S2 of the power supply unit 11 to be OFF based on the OFF instruction signal. Then, the power supply to the heating element 16 is stopped.

In the above description, the control unit 15 controls both the mechanical switches S1 and S2 to be on. However, the control unit 15 controls only one of the mechanical switches S1 and S2 to be on and controls the portable switch. Power may be supplied to the heating element 16 from either the telephone battery 17 or the external power supply device 19. For example, when the external power supply device 19 is not connected to the connection terminal 18 (the control unit 15
Can be determined by constantly monitoring the connection state of the connection terminal 18), only the mechanical switch S1 is turned on,
Electric power is supplied from the cell phone battery 17 to the heating element 16.
When the external power supply device 19 is connected to the connection terminal 18, only the mechanical switch S 2 is turned on to prevent the battery 17 for the mobile phone from being consumed, and only the external power supply device 19 generates heat. Control such as supplying power to the body 16 is possible.

In the above description, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 14 is set to a fixed temperature (for example,
If the temperature is not higher than 10 ° C.) or less, the mechanical switches S1 and S2 of the power supply unit 11 are turned on, and the heating element is output from the external power supply device 19 connected to the mobile phone battery 17 and the connection terminal 18. The power supply to the mobile phone 16 is controlled when the power switch (provided on the user interface 13 but not shown) of the mobile phone is turned on, and the power switch is turned off. In such a case, such control is not performed.

Further, in the above description, the heat generated by the heating element 16 causes the cellular phone circuit section 12 and the cellular phone battery 1 to generate heat.
7 is heated, but it is possible to heat only one of them.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the mobile phone according to the present invention.

Since the configuration of the mobile phone according to the second embodiment is almost the same as the configuration of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the same reference numerals are given to the same functional blocks. The only difference is that the switch of the power supply unit 11 is an electrical switch. Also, the equivalent circuit of the electrical switch is exactly the same as that shown in FIG.
The electric switches S1 and S2 in this case are mainly composed of switching transistors and the like. However, a switch circuit using such switching transistors and the like is a well-known technology in the related art, and therefore detailed description is omitted here. . The power supply control to the heating element 16 by the mobile phone according to the second embodiment is exactly the same as that in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of the mobile phone according to the present invention.

Since the configuration of the mobile phone according to the third embodiment is almost the same as the configuration of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the same functional blocks are denoted by the same reference numerals. The differences are the input signals of the user interface 13,
And the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 14 is the power supply unit 11a
It is a point that is directly led to. That is, the control operation of the control unit 15 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is performed inside the power supply unit 11a. Other configurations are exactly the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the configurations of the mechanical switches S1 and S2 are exactly the same as those of the equivalent circuit shown in FIG.

In other words, the power supply unit 11a uses an internal mechanical switch triggered by one of the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 14 and an input signal from the user interface 13 by a user's intentional input operation. S1 and S2 are turned on and off.

More specifically, the power supply unit 11a
When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 14 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, 10 ° C.) set inside,
The internal mechanical switches S1 and S2 are turned on to supply electric power to the heating element 16 from the external power supply device 19 connected to the cell phone battery 17 and the connection terminal 18, thereby causing the heating element 16 to generate heat. Then, the cellular phone circuit section 12 and the cellular phone battery 17 are warmed. In addition, the power supply unit 11a
When an on-instruction signal for causing the heating element 16 to generate heat is input from the user interface 13, the internal mechanical switches S1 and S2 are turned on based on the on-instruction signal, and the cell phone battery 17 and the connection terminal 18 are turned on. The power is supplied from the external power supply device 19 connected to the heating element 16 to the heating element 16 to cause the heating element 16 to generate heat, thereby heating the mobile phone circuit section 12 and the mobile phone battery 17.

On the other hand, the power supply unit 11a
When the temperature detected by the control unit 4 exceeds a predetermined temperature set inside (for example, 20 ° C.), the internal mechanical switch S
1 and S2 are turned off, and the power supply to the heating element 16 is stopped. Further, when an off instruction signal for stopping the heat generation of the heating element 16 is input from the user interface 13, the power supply unit 11 a controls off the internal mechanical switches S 1 and S 2 based on the off instruction signal, Heating element 1
The power supply to 6 is stopped.

FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram showing a fourth embodiment of a mobile phone according to the present invention.

Since the configuration of the mobile phone according to the fourth embodiment is almost the same as the configuration of the mobile phone according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the same reference numerals are given to the same functional blocks. The only difference is that the switch of the power supply unit 11a is an electrical switch. The equivalent circuit of the electric switch is exactly the same as that shown in FIG.
The power supply control to the heating element 16 by the mobile phone according to the fourth embodiment is exactly the same as that in the third embodiment.

As described above, the first to fourth embodiments are described.
According to the mobile phone, when the mobile phone is used in a low-temperature environment, when the operating environment temperature of the mobile phone falls below a certain temperature, or when the user operates the user interface 13 intentionally, the heating element 16 generates heat. In this way, the mobile phone circuit section 12 and the mobile phone battery 17 can be warmed, so that malfunctions such as a malfunction of the mobile phone circuit section 12 and a rapid decrease in the capacity of the mobile phone battery 17 can be prevented. Can be.

[0034]

According to the portable terminal device of the present invention, even if the portable terminal device is placed in a low-temperature environment for a long time, the internal circuit and the secondary battery as a power supply are warmed by the heating element. A situation such as a malfunction of the circuit or a rapid decrease in the battery capacity of the secondary battery is avoided, and a favorable use environment can be maintained.

Further, according to the portable terminal device of the present invention, when the operating environment in which the portable terminal device is placed is below a certain temperature, power is automatically supplied to the heating element.
Since the internal circuit and the secondary battery can be warmed, the user can always keep the mobile terminal device in the best condition without worrying about the operating environment of the mobile terminal device.

Further, according to the portable terminal device of the present invention, the user gives an input instruction from the user interface according to the operating environment in which the portable terminal device is placed, and starts supplying power to the heating element. Thus, the internal circuit and the secondary battery can be warmed, so that the mobile terminal device can always be maintained in the best condition.

Further, according to the portable terminal device of the present invention, power can be supplied to the heating element from one or both of the secondary battery and the external power supply device. When the external power supply device is not connected, only the mobile phone battery can be turned on to supply power to the heating element only from the mobile phone battery. Also, when an external power supply device is connected to the connection terminal, only the external power supply device is turned on to supply power to the heating element only from the external power supply device. Unnecessary wear of the camera can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a mobile phone as an example of a mobile terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of a mobile phone as an example of the mobile terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram showing Embodiment 3 of a mobile phone as an example of the mobile terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram showing a fourth embodiment of a mobile phone as an example of the mobile terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a mechanical switch and an electrical switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Phone main body (apparatus main body) 11, 11a Power supply part 12 Cellular phone circuit part 13 User interface 14 Temperature sensor 15 Control part 16 Heating element 17 Cell phone battery 18 Connection terminal 19 External power supply device S1, S2 switch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A portable terminal device having a driving power supply for supplying power to an internal circuit, comprising: a heating element built in a device main body; and a power supply for supplying power to the heating element from the driving power supply. And a control unit for controlling power supply to the heating element by controlling on / off of the power supply unit. 2. A temperature sensor is provided in the apparatus main body, and the control unit turns on the power supply unit when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature set inside. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein power is supplied to the heating element. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface provided in the apparatus main body, wherein the control unit performs on / off control of the power supply unit in accordance with an input instruction from the user interface. Mobile terminal device. 4. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the driving power supply is a secondary battery provided in the device main body. 5. The power supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a connection terminal to which an external power supply device can be connected, wherein the driving power supply is an external power supply device connected to the connection terminal.
5. The mobile terminal device according to 2, 3, or 4.