JP2002034148A - Electronic equipment and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide electronic equipment and a control method therefor wherein a power supply system can be changed according to the state of the electronic equipment to reduce power consumption. SOLUTION: The electronic equipment is provided with a power supply, a voltage conversion circuit that converts the voltage of the power supply into other voltage levels, an electronic device that operates on the other voltages, and a power-saving means that exercises control so as to stop at least part of the device or interrupt application of power from the power supply. The electronic equipment, if it is provided with a power storage portion and a regulator means, stops the regulator and switches power supply and supplies the load circuit thereof with power from the power storage portion. In addition, the electronic equipment stops switch accepting operation and operation of outputting internal information for testing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a configuration of an electronic device which saves energy by stopping at least a part of a system, stopping the power supply, or switching a power source, and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The configuration of an electronic timepiece as an example of a conventional electronic device is shown in a block diagram of FIG. Since a wristwatch must be operated for a long time with a small battery, there is a great demand for reduction in power consumption. Reference numeral 1 denotes a power storage unit serving as a power supply, which supplies power P1 to the entire electronic device. The power storage unit 1 is 2
It is not limited to the secondary power source, but also includes a power source such as a primary battery that holds a predetermined amount of electricity. Reference numeral 2 denotes a regulator, which stabilizes the voltage by receiving the power P1 inevitable to some extent and generates a constant voltage output P2. Regulator 2 is MO
It is composed of S transistors, includes a current mirror circuit and the like, and consumes a certain amount of power to obtain a constant voltage.

[0003] The control circuit 3 controls and advances the operation of the entire timepiece system, and operates according to a program-operated CP.
It is a circuit mainly composed of U, and may include a high-precision oscillator serving as a clock reference. To stabilize the operation of the CPU and maintain the accuracy of the oscillation frequency, a power source whose output voltage is stabilized by the regulator 2 is supplied. Other circuits use the power storage unit 1 as a direct power supply without using a regulator in principle.

A clock circuit section 4 is a circuit for generating a clock signal of a clock. For example, a reference signal P3 which is a frequency-divided output (for example, 1K to several hundred Hz) of a high-precision oscillator obtained from the control circuit 3
1 to output a clock signal P4 of, for example, 1 Hz to the control circuit 3. The control circuit 3 uses this signal to determine the seconds, minutes,
A time signal, an alarm signal, a chronograph signal, and the like of hours, days,... Are created and output as a display drive signal P32.
The display drive unit 5 receives this signal and drives the display unit 6 which is an analog or digital display device.

[0005] Reference numeral 7 denotes a switch receiving circuit, for example, a switch S for operating an alarm, a chronograph, and other functions.
It plays the role of reading the signal of W1 and transmitting it to the control circuit 3. P33 is a read request clock signal received from the control circuit 3, and outputs the switch operation signal read at that timing as switch operation information P7. Reference numeral 8 denotes a test internal information output circuit for product inspection. When a switch SW2 connected to this circuit is operated, an output request signal P8 is output to the control means 3, and the control means 3 responds to each inspection item according to a predetermined program. A large number of internal information signals P34 are returned and output to the OUT terminal. R is a pull-down resistor.

[0006]

Since the power supply system of the control circuit has a fixed configuration, the regulator always operates irrespective of the state of the system, so that the regulator itself always consumes constant power. Was. recent years,
If there is any surplus power due to the miniaturization of electronic devices including watches, that is, the limitation of the capacity of power supply batteries, the need to improve the use efficiency of generated power in electronic devices such as watches with power generation functions, or the progress of multi-functionality, There has been a growing demand for powering various functions and turning them into power supplies for various functions. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of reducing power consumption by changing a power supply system according to the state of the electronic device, and a control method thereof.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus having one of the following features. (1) a power supply, a voltage conversion circuit for converting the voltage of the power supply to another voltage level, an electronic device operating at the other voltage, and stopping at least a part of the device or supplying the power Power saving means for controlling so as to shut off

(2) A power storage unit, a regulator means for converting at least a part of the power of the power storage unit into a constant voltage output power, a control means operating using the output power of the regulator means as a power supply, and the control means An electronic device having a display device for displaying controlled information, further comprising power supply switching means for switching between output power of the regulator means and power of the power storage unit, wherein the power supply switching means is in a normal state. In the case of (1), the output power of the regulator means is supplied to the control means, and when the control means is in a power saving state, the power of the power storage unit is supplied to the control means and the operation of the regulator means is stopped.

(3) Power generating means, a power storage unit to which the power generated by the power generating means is charged, a regulator means for converting at least a part of the electric power of the power storage unit into a constant voltage output power, and the regulator means Control means that operates using the output power of the power supply as a power supply, and in an electronic device having a display device that displays information controlled by the control means, a power generation detection circuit that outputs the power generation amount of the power generation unit as information,
Power supply switching means for switching between the output power of the regulator means and the power of the power storage unit, wherein the power supply switching means controls the control means when the power generation amount is higher than a predetermined level. When output power is supplied and the amount of power generation is less than a predetermined level, power of the power storage unit is supplied to the control unit and the operation of the regulator unit is stopped.

The electronic device of the present invention may further have at least one of the following features. (4) When at least a part of the electronic device is stopped, the electronic device stops accepting operation of the external operation switch.

(5) The electronic device further includes a test internal information output unit, and the operation of the test internal information output unit is stopped when at least a part of the electronic device is stopped.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for controlling an electronic device according to the present invention has one of the following features. (6) In an electronic apparatus including a power supply, a voltage conversion circuit that converts a voltage of the power supply to another voltage level, and an electronic device that operates at the other voltage, at least a part of the electronic device is stopped. Or controlling to cut off the power supply and save power.

(7) a power storage unit, a regulator means for converting at least a part of the power of the power storage unit into a constant voltage output power, a control means operating using the output power of the regulator means as a power supply, and the control means In an electronic apparatus having a display device for displaying controlled information, when the control unit is in a normal state, the control unit supplies the output power of the regulator unit, and when the control unit is in a power saving state, the control unit includes the control unit. And stopping the operation of the regulator means.

(8) Power generating means, a power storage unit to which the power generated by the power generating means is charged, a regulator means for converting at least a part of the power of the power storage unit into a constant voltage output power, and the regulator means An electronic device having a control unit that operates using the output power of the power supply as a power supply and a display device that displays information controlled by the control unit, wherein the control unit includes the regulator unit when the power generation amount is larger than a predetermined level. And when the power generation amount is smaller than a predetermined level, control is performed so that the power of the power storage unit is supplied to the control unit and the operation of the regulator unit is stopped.

[0015]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This example is also an electronic timepiece. Elements that may be configured in the same manner as in FIG. 3 of the conventional example described above are given the same reference numerals, and will not be described again.
Hereinafter, portions different from the conventional example will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 11 denotes a stored power detection circuit which constantly monitors the amount of power P1 held by the power storage unit 1 by, for example, its voltage and outputs a stored power information signal P11. The control circuit 3 receives this signal, and outputs a power saving command signal P3 when the remaining amount of power is reduced from the signal or is predicted to decrease below a predetermined value.

The power switching circuit 100 has a role of switching and selecting one of the output power of the power storage unit 1 and the output power of the regulator 2 and supplying the selected power as the power output P100 of the control circuit 3. However, when the power saving command signal P3 is received, the power of the power storage unit 1 is directly supplied as the power source of the control circuit 3. On the other hand, the regulator 2 stops its operation when receiving the power saving command signal P3. As a result, the power consumption of the electronic device as a whole is substantially reduced to the amount consumed by the regulator 2, and the power saving state is maintained thereafter. (If the display drive is temporarily stopped, and the device is put into a hibernating state, further power saving can be achieved.) In this state, a power shortage state of the power storage unit 1 is caused by, for example, battery replacement or the like. , Lasts until resolved.

Next, the operation of the switch receiving circuit 7 will be described. FIG. 4 shows a circuit (for example, an inverter ring circuit) forming a main part of the switch receiving circuit 7, and FIG.
(B) is a timing chart showing the operation. The circuit shown in FIG. 4 is a combination of an inverter 801 and a NOR gate 802. The input terminal T81 has a switch SW1.
Of the control circuit 3 is input to the input terminal T82.
Is generated, the read request clock signal P33 is input. The logic output of this circuit appears at output terminal T83. This signal is output as the switch operation signal P7.

FIG. 5A shows the operation of the switch receiving circuit 7 in a normal state. There is no pull-down resistor R in the input portion of the switch SW1, and the switch terminal is normally in an open (OPEN) state. When the switch is operated, the state is connected to Vdd (CLOSE). Due to the logical operation of the circuit of FIG. 4, the switch operation output appears at T83 from the time point t1 when the switch SW1 is closed to the time point t3 at which the read request clock is generated immediately after the time point t2 when the switch SW1 is opened.

However, in the power saving state where the control circuit 3 outputs the power saving command signal P3, the output of the read request clock signal P33 is also stopped as shown in FIG.
The operation output waveform appearing at 83 is not completed even at time t3, and eventually the switch operation information P7 is not output. With this configuration, in a power saving state of the electronic device, operation of a function that leads to an increase in power consumption is prohibited, and there is an effect that complete power saving is achieved.

The control circuit 3 sends an internal information signal P34 to the test internal information output circuit 8 in the power saving command state.
Is stopped, no internal information appears at the OUT terminal. With such a configuration, the power load is large in the power saving state, and the product test cannot be performed under the condition where the power supply state is different from the normal state.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The electronic apparatus of the present embodiment includes a power generation unit 9 (for example, a photovoltaic power generation device using a solar cell, a thermoelectric power generation device based on a difference between body temperature and air temperature, an automatic winding power generation device, and the like). Information for determining whether to set the device in the power saving state is stored in the power storage unit 1.
Is supplied to the control circuit 3 by a power generation detection signal P10, which is an output of the power generation detection circuit 10 that monitors the power generation state of the power generation unit 9 that replenishes the power to the power generation unit 9. Power generation detection signal P
The signal 10 differs depending on whether the average power generation amount of the power generation unit 9 is higher or lower than a predetermined level.

According to this configuration, it is possible to detect the shortage of the amount of power generation and shift to the power saving state before the power stored in the power storage unit 1 shows a sign of depletion. Since the power can be restored, there is an effect that power can be saved while giving a margin to the remaining power, and the period during which the electronic device maintains its function can be greatly extended. The configuration and operation of the switch receiving circuit 7, the test internal information output circuit 8, and the like may be the same as those in the above-described first embodiment, and further description will be omitted.

Although the two embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is also possible to freely change the configuration of each circuit and the division of roles, delete some of them, or add other configurations and functions not described above. A partial circuit including another regulator which cannot be switched with the power of the power storage unit according to the present invention may be present in the system. Further, the most basic configuration of the present invention includes providing a power saving means for stopping operation of a part of the electronic device or cutting off power supply to the part, and performing such control.

[0024]

According to the present invention, there is a basic effect that the power consumption can be significantly reduced by stopping at least a part of the electronic device or cutting off the power supply. In particular, in the case of a system using a limited power storage unit such as an electronic timepiece, there is a remarkable effect in reducing power consumption. The individual effects corresponding to the individual claims are given with the same numbers as those in the claims.

(1) A basic configuration of an electronic device that can obtain the above basic effects can be provided. (2) With respect to an electronic device having a power storage unit, a regulator, and a control unit, a configuration that achieves the above-described basic effects can be provided. (3) Further, a configuration that achieves the above-described basic effect can be provided for an electronic device having a power generation unit.

(4) By stopping the operation switch operation in the power saving state, it is possible to provide an electronic device exhibiting a higher power saving effect. (5) In the power saving state, by stopping the output operation of the test internal information, it was possible to provide an electronic device exhibiting a higher power saving effect.

(6) A method of controlling an electronic device that can obtain the above-described basic effects can be provided. (7) A control method that achieves the above-described basic effects can be provided for an electronic device having a power storage unit, a regulator, and a control unit. (8) Further, a control method for achieving the above-described basic effect with respect to an electronic device having a power generation means can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional electronic device.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a main part of a switch reception circuit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing an operation of a main part of the switch receiving circuit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 power storage unit 2 regulator circuit 3 control circuit 4 clock circuit unit 5 display drive unit 6 display unit 7 switch receiving circuit 8 test internal information output circuit 9 power generation unit 10 power generation detection circuit 11 power storage detection circuit 100 power supply switching circuit 801 inverter 802 NOR gate P1 Power storage unit power P2 Constant voltage output P3 Power saving command signal P4 Clocking signal P5 Display drive output P7 Switch operation information P8 Output request signal P9 Power generation output P10 Power generation detection signal P11 Power storage amount information signal P31 Reference signal P32 Display drive signal P33 Read Required clock P34 Internal information signal P100 Power output SW1 Operation switch SW2 Test switch

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5G003 AA06 AA07 BA01 DA14 EA05 EA08 5G065 AA01 DA07 EA03 HA04 HA16 JA04 5H030 AS11 AS20 BB21 BB27 FF00 FF41

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A power supply, a voltage conversion circuit for converting a voltage of the power supply to another voltage level, an electronic device operating at the other voltage, and stopping or stopping at least a part of the device. An electronic device comprising power saving means for controlling so as to cut off supply of power. 2. A power storage unit, and regulator means for converting at least a part of the power of the power storage unit into a constant voltage output power;
In an electronic apparatus having a control unit that operates using the output power of the regulator unit as a power supply, and a display device that displays information controlled by the control unit, switching between the output power of the regulator unit and the power of the power storage unit is performed. Power supply switching means for supplying the output power of the regulator means to the control means when the control means is in a normal state, and supplying the output power of the regulator means to the control means when the control means is in a power saving state. An electronic device which supplies power to a power storage unit and stops operation of the regulator means. 3. A power generating means, a power storage unit charged with generated energy from the power generating means, a regulator means for converting at least a part of electric power of the power storage part into a constant voltage output power, A control unit that operates using the output power as a power supply, and an electronic device having a display device that displays information controlled by the control unit, a power generation detection circuit that outputs the amount of power generated by the power generation unit as information, Power supply switching means for switching between output power and power of the power storage unit, wherein the power supply switching means supplies the control unit with the output power of the regulator unit when the power generation amount is higher than a predetermined level. And
An electronic apparatus, wherein when the amount of generated power is less than a predetermined level, the power of the power storage unit is supplied to the control unit and the operation of the regulator unit is stopped. 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device stops accepting an external operation switch when at least a part of the electronic device is stopped. 5. The electronic device further includes a test internal information output unit, wherein the operation of the test internal information output unit is stopped when at least a part of the electronic device is stopped. The electronic device according to claim 1. 6. An electronic apparatus comprising a power supply, a voltage conversion circuit for converting the voltage of the power supply to another voltage level, and an electronic device operating at the other voltage, at least a part of the electronic device. Or controlling to stop power supply or cut off the power supply to save power. 7. A power storage unit and a regulator means for converting at least a part of the power of the power storage unit into a constant voltage output power,
In an electronic apparatus having a control unit that operates using the output power of the regulator unit as a power supply and a display device that displays information controlled by the control unit, when the control unit is in a normal state, the control unit includes the regulator unit. A control method for controlling the electronic device, wherein when the control means is in a power saving state, the power of the power storage unit is supplied to the control means and the operation of the regulator means is stopped. 8. A power generating means, a power storage unit charged with power generated by the power generating means, a regulator means for converting at least a part of electric power of the power storage part into a constant voltage output power, Control means operating using output power as a power supply, and electronic equipment having a display device for displaying information controlled by the control means, wherein when the power generation amount is higher than a predetermined level, the control means An electronic device for supplying output power and supplying power to the control unit to the control unit when the amount of power generation is less than a predetermined level and controlling the regulator unit to stop operating. Control method.