JP2005223454A - Mobile phone with tv function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile phone with a TV function capable of extending the lifetime of a battery by automatically selecting the optimum number of frames in response to the residual capacity of the battery from a TV signal received at a prescribed (fixed) frame rate. <P>SOLUTION: A level of a built-in battery is compared with one or more threshold values and the operation of an image processing section such as a video detection section and an NTSC decoder for a TV signal received at a prescribed (fixed) frame rate is ON/OFF-controlled depending on the residual capacity of the battery, the frames of the TV signals are interleaved to reduce the power consumption, resulting in extending the lifetime of the battery. When the battery has a sufficient level, the mobile phone receives the TV signals at a high frame rate as ordinary reception, and when the level of the battery is lowered, the mobile phone receives the TV signals at a lower frame rate. Further, the reception of the TV signals is restored to the reception at a high frame rate in the case of charging. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile phone device having a TV reception function, and more particularly to a mobile phone device with a TV function that enables low power consumption.

  In recent years, the development of mobile phones has been remarkable, and various additional functions such as a TV reception function have been installed, and low power consumption is an essential matter for multi-function mobile phones using a battery as a power source.

  Conventionally, as a technique for reducing the power consumption of such a cellular phone, it is known that the frame rate in the moving image shooting operation by the TV camera is adjusted according to the external operation or the remaining capacity of the battery with respect to the TV phone function (patent) References 1-4).

Further, a method has been proposed in which the number of screens (frames) for demodulating and outputting a TV image is changed when demodulating a TV signal having a predetermined frame rate (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-297826). The present invention relates to a technique for reducing power consumption by reducing the number of frames per unit time by intermittently operating a video detector and an NTSC decoder.
JP-A-8-9347 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-248063 JP 2001-103565 A JP 2003-189007 A

  The conventional technology for reducing power consumption of TV image communication relates to a TV telephone device, and by reducing the frame rate at the time of moving image shooting by a TV camera, the power consumption is reduced by changing the frame rate for both transmission and reception. Is.

The present applicant has previously proposed a method of changing the number of screens (frames) for demodulating and outputting a TV image when demodulating a video signal. In this method, the number of frames per unit time is simply set. (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-297826).
(the purpose)
An object of the present invention is to provide a TV signal receiving method and a TV function capable of automatically selecting and receiving an optimal number of frames for a TV signal received at a predetermined frame rate according to the remaining battery capacity. A mobile phone device is provided.

  Another object of the present invention is to receive a TV signal that is received at a predetermined frame rate, automatically detecting at a slow frame rate when the remaining battery capacity is reduced, and extending the battery life. A method and a mobile phone device with a TV function are provided.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a TV reception method and a mobile phone device with a TV function that can control the number of frames received at a suitable control timing depending on the degree of battery consumption.

In the present invention, when the battery level is sufficiently high, normal TV viewing or TV viewing at a high frame rate can be performed, and when the battery level decreases, the battery life is extended by lowering the frame rate. A plurality of battery level thresholds are provided, frame rates can be set for each, and a sudden decrease in the frame rate is avoided. In addition, when a charger is attached, it is not necessary to consider power consumption, so that TV viewing can be performed at a normal frame rate even when the battery level is low.
A mobile phone device with a TV function according to the present invention is a mobile phone device with a TV function including a TV receiver that receives a TV signal of a predetermined reception frame rate, and the battery level of the image processing unit and the built-in battery is predetermined. Operate the image processing unit so that the received frame rate becomes the maximum frame rate when it is larger than the threshold, or select for each frame so that the frame rate less than the received frame rate becomes the maximum frame rate A frame rate for selectively operating the image processing unit for each frame so that the frame rate is lower than the maximum frame rate when the battery level is equal to or lower than the threshold value. A control unit, or an image processing unit, and a plurality of thresholds having different sizes sequentially with respect to the battery level of the internal battery A plurality of frame rates that decrease from the maximum frame rate are set in the order of the threshold values, and the threshold decreases according to the decrease in the battery level based on a comparison result between the battery level and the plurality of threshold values. A frame rate control unit that selectively operates the image processing unit for each frame so as to obtain a frame rate.

  The frame rate control unit operates at a maximum frame rate regardless of the battery level when a charger for charging the battery is connected. This operation is performed by controlling the power supply, and the power supply is started from the front edge of the frame only for a period required for the stable operation.

  The frame rate control unit includes a battery level detection unit that detects a battery level of the battery, a comparison unit that compares the battery level detected by the battery level detection unit with the threshold value, and a frame based on a comparison result of the comparison unit. And a video detection unit serving as the image processing unit and an operation control unit for controlling on / off of the operation of the NTSC decoder.

  The present invention is also a TV reception method of a mobile phone device with a TV function for receiving a TV signal of a predetermined reception frame rate, and at least baseband signal processing of the TV signal is thinned out when the battery level decreases. By switching to processing at a frame rate lower than the reception frame rate, the usable time of the battery is extended, and the power supplied to the video detection unit and the NTSC decoder is selectively turned on / off for each frame of the TV signal. It is characterized by off-control.

  According to the present invention, since the operation period of the image processing unit such as the video detection unit and the NTSC decoder is controlled, when the battery level is sufficiently high in the reception of the TV signal of the predetermined reception frame rate, Ordinary TV viewing or TV viewing at a high frame rate can be performed, and when the battery level decreases, the battery life can be extended by lowering the frame rate. Further, by setting reception at the maximum frame rate to a frame rate lower than the predetermined reception frame rate, it is possible to further extend the battery life.

According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid a sudden decrease in the frame rate by providing a plurality of threshold values for the battery level and setting the respective frame rates.
Further, even when the battery level is low, normal TV viewing can be automatically performed when the battery is connected and charged.

(Embodiment 1)
(Description of configuration)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a mobile phone device with a TV function according to the present invention.
An antenna 1 that catches TV radio waves and mobile phone (hereinafter referred to as “PDC”) radio waves, a diplexer 2 that demultiplexes TV radio waves and PDC radio waves, an antenna switch 3 that switches between PDC transmission and reception, and PDC reception 4, PDC transmitter 5, TV receiver 6, TV audio detector 7, TV video detector 8, NTSC decoder 9 for converting analog signals into digital signals and converting them to be displayable on LCD, PDC And a control unit 10 for processing various signals for controlling the TV receiver and controlling the frame rate of the present invention, an LCD panel 11 for displaying a TV screen and a PDC, a speaker 12 for playing TV sound and PDC sound, a program, Memory 13 storing user data, battery 14 for supplying power to each part of the mobile phone device with TV function, charger 5 and the user is provided with the key operation unit 16 for operating.

  The control unit 10 controls the operations of the PDC antenna switch 3, the PDC reception unit 4, the PDC transmission unit 5, the TV reception unit 6, the audio detection unit 7, the video detection unit 8, and the NTSC decoder 9, as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. Then, PDC calls and TV transmission / reception are controlled. Furthermore, the control unit 10 monitors (detects) the voltage value or remaining capacity (referred to as “battery level”) of the battery 14, and also monitors whether or not the charger 15 is connected, that is, whether it is in a charged state, etc. Depending on the situation, the power supply or operation of the TV image detector and the 8NTSC decoder 9 is controlled.

  About 60 screens (frames) are transmitted per second for a normal TV broadcast image (frame rate 60 fps (frame per second)), and the reception time per frame of the TV receiver is 1 sec / 60. = 16.7 msec. On the other hand, the sound is received in real time in the same manner as radio (radio) broadcasting. In a normal TV receiver, the TV receiver 6 receives all the frames, all the frames are detected by the video detector 8, decoded by the NTSC decoder 9, and displayed as an image on the display screen.

  In the first embodiment, the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 perform a normal reception operation (hereinafter referred to as “normal mode”) in which images of all frames are displayed on the display screen at the original frame rate of the received TV signal. And a receiving operation (hereinafter referred to as “low power mode”) in which a frame image is selectively displayed on the display screen at a frame rate lower than that in the normal mode is automatically switched according to the battery level. Yes, this control is performed by the frame rate control unit 100 in the control unit 10.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram mainly showing functional blocks of the frame rate control unit 100 of the present embodiment. The frame rate control unit 100 includes a battery level detection unit 101, a reading unit 102, a threshold setting unit 103, a comparison unit 104, a stabilized power supply unit 105, and an operation control unit 106.

  The battery level detection unit 101 detects and outputs the battery level (remaining capacity or battery voltage) of the battery 14, and the reading unit 102 provides information on threshold values (comparison reference voltage) for the battery level recorded in the memory 13 or the like. Is output to the threshold value setting unit 103. The threshold value setting unit 103 outputs the threshold value to the comparison unit 104. The comparison unit 104 compares the threshold value with the battery level and outputs the comparison result to the operation control unit 106.

  The operation control unit 106 receives the frame timing signal from the NTSC decoder 9 or the TV receiving unit 6 and the comparison result from the comparison unit 104, and detects that the battery level has fallen below the threshold value from the comparison unit 104. When a signal is input, the power supply voltage (current) supplied from the stabilized power supply unit 105 to the video detection unit 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 is intermittently synchronized in synchronization with the frame timing. ON / OFF operation.

  Under the control of the operation control unit 106 as described above, the supply of the power supply voltage to the video detection unit 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 is intermittently performed based on the detection output of the battery level decrease from the comparison unit 104. ON / OFF supply, and further ON / OFF supply control is switched according to the battery level, so that the frame rate according to the battery level is displayed and the power consumption can be suppressed.

(Description of operation)
The automatic frame rate variable control by the comparison unit 104 and the operation control unit 106 during TV viewing will be described below.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a processing example of the intermittent operation or the continuous operation according to the first embodiment in a flowchart. In this example, the threshold value Va is output from the threshold value setting unit 103, the comparison unit 104 compares the battery level from the battery level detection unit 101 and the threshold value Va, and the operation control unit 106 compares the comparison unit 104. An example of switching to a frame rate of either fs or fs / n (an arbitrary value of n> 0) is shown. If the battery level is larger than the threshold value Va in the process A1, the process proceeds to the process A2, and the frame rate is set to fs. When the battery level is equal to or lower than the threshold value Va in the process A1, the frame rate is set to fs / n (arbitrary value of n> 0) in the process A3, and the operation for reducing the frame rate is performed. In this case, fs can be set to an arbitrary value, but is set to an extent that does not hinder TV viewing (15 fps or more).

  For example, by setting fs = 60 fps and n = 2, the operation control unit 106 continuously receives and processes all images when the battery level is higher than Va, and one when the battery level is equal to or lower than Va. The power sources of the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 are controlled so that every other frame is received.

  In the above operation, when n = ∞, display is not performed or display update is not performed, and only sound is listened to, so the effect of low power consumption is the greatest. In the case where display on the LCD is not performed, further suppression of power consumption can be expected by turning off the power of the LCD 11 that is a display-related device and the display control unit in the control unit 10 that controls the LCD 11.

  4 and 5 are time charts showing continuous and intermittent operations of the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 when n = 2 in the first embodiment. The time chart shown in FIG. 4 shows the case where the battery level is higher than Va after the power is turned on, and the operation control unit 106 continuously supplies power to the video detection unit 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 to obtain continuous frames. This is a normal mode in which all images are detected and an image is output. The time chart shown in FIG. 5 is for the case where the battery level is lower than Va, and the operation control unit 106 turns on / off the power supply for each frame in synchronization with the video detection unit 8 and the NTSC decoder 9. The case where it switches to operation | movement is shown. As a result, the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 detect one frame at a time, perform NTSC decoding and display on the screen, thereby realizing low power consumption.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when only frames 1, 3, 5, 7... And odd frames are in an operating state, even frames 2, 4, 6 in which image data is not output by the display processing unit of the control unit 10 are displayed. , 8..., Display processing for displaying 1 frame continuously for 2 frames without erasing the even frame so that the previous odd frame image data is displayed again. In this case, if the sound is intermittently operated, the sound is interrupted, so that the intermittent operation is not performed, and the TV receiving unit receives both the video wave and the sound wave, so the intermittent operation is not performed.

  4 and 5, the intermittent power supply is performed slightly before the start time of each frame. This is because the TV receiver starts from the power-on (ON) to the TV receiver. This is because a transitional time (stable time) is required until each part of the image processing unit such as the audio detection unit, the video detection unit, and the NTSC decoder is stabilized. In general, such a stabilization time is required to be about 0.7 msec from the power-on, considering the TV receiver stabilization time, audio detection unit stabilization time, video detection unit stabilization time, and NTSC decoder stabilization time. By supplying power to the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 slightly before the start of each frame and controlling the power supply to be cut off at the end of each frame, for example, only odd frames can be reliably detected. Output as complete image data. In this case, the ON time of the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 is 17.4 msec, and the OFF time of the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 is 16.0 msec.

According to the present embodiment, when the remaining capacity of the battery is sufficient, normal TV viewing can be performed, and when the battery level decreases, the battery life can be extended by reducing the frame rate. it can. At this time, smoothness may be hindered, but it is effective as a means of reducing power consumption in view of the fact that the mobile terminal itself cannot be used if the battery is exhausted. In addition, there is an effect of prompting the user to perform a charging operation because the smoothness of the screen is impaired. Furthermore, if priority is given to battery life, the smoothness of the screen is impaired, but fs when the remaining battery capacity is sufficient may be set small.
(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another embodiment 2 of the present invention. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that two threshold values for the battery level are provided. The comparison unit 104 compares the battery level with the two threshold values Va and Vb (Va> Vb), and switches the frame rate according to the determination result.

  In the operation of the second embodiment, if the battery level is higher than the threshold value Va in process B1, the process proceeds to process B2, and the frame rate is set to fs. When the battery level is equal to or lower than the threshold value Va in process B1, the process proceeds to process B3. If the battery level is larger than the threshold value Vb, the frame rate is set to fs / n (arbitrary value of n> 0) and the frame rate is lowered. When the battery level becomes equal to or lower than the threshold value Vb in the process B3, the process proceeds to the process B5, the frame rate is set to fs / m (an arbitrary value of m> n), and the frame rate is further reduced. Here, as in the case of the first embodiment, when m = ∞, only sound is heard without display or display update. By controlling in this way, it is possible to avoid a sudden drop in the frame rate because a finer setting can be made as compared with the first embodiment.

  If the threshold value Va is set to a sufficient battery level range, fs = 60 fps (normal mode), n = 2 (30 fps in low power mode 1), and m = 4 (15 fps in low power mode 2), each mode The time charts have the relationships shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, respectively. Here, an image of 1 frame in 2 frames is displayed at 30 fps with n = 2, but an image of 1 frame in 4 frames is displayed at 15 fps.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the current consumption of the video detection unit and the NTSC decoder of the reception system of the TV receiver. The current consumption of a general TV receiver is 100 mA for the TV receiver 6, 50 mA for the audio detector 7, 50 mA for the video detector 8, and 50 mA for the NTSC decoder 9. The total current consumption of the unit 7 is constant at 150 mA.

  In the normal mode (60 fps), since all the blocks are always ON during TV viewing, the ON rate is 100%, and the current consumption of only the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 is 100 mA. In the low power mode (30 fps), the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 operate intermittently, the ON rate is 52% as shown in FIG. 8, and the current consumption of only these is 52 mA. The current consumption can be reduced by 48 mA compared to the normal mode.

Even in the low power mode (15 fps), since the video detector 8 and the NTSC decoder 9 operate intermittently, the ON rate is 26% as shown in FIG. 8, and the current consumption of only these is 26 mA. The current can be reduced by 74 mA compared to the normal mode.
(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the third embodiment, in order to enable finer mode switching, three or more threshold values are prepared for the battery level, and control is performed to enable switching to a different frame rate by comparison processing with each. It is a configuration.

  The battery level is compared with threshold values Va, Vb, Vc, Vd (Va> Vb> Vc> Vd> ...) (processing C1 to C7). fs, fs / n, fs / m, fs / l... (arbitrary values of n, m, l...> 0) (processing C2 to C8). Enables smoother frame rate switching.

  In this case, in order to increase the number of switching in switching by a plurality of frame rates, n, m, l,... It is possible to configure to perform on / off control of the image processing unit so as to thin out the frames. In this case, the overall frame rate is an average frame rate.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit according to another embodiment 4 of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart according to embodiment 4. The difference from the first to third embodiments described above is that a charge detection unit 107 that detects the connection of the charger 15 and controls the operation control unit 106 is provided, and the frame rate is controlled depending on whether or not the battery is charged. is there. Even if the battery level is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value, power consumption is supplied from the outside in the charged state, so there is no need to reduce the frame rate. Whether the mobile phone and the charger 15 are connected or not is monitored by the charge detection unit 107, and when the charge detection unit 107 detects the connection state, control is performed so that the frame rate is not lowered even when the battery level is greatly reduced. .

  If the state of charge is detected in the process D1, the process proceeds to the process D2, and the frame rate is set to the reception frame rate or a frame rate fs close thereto. In this case, fs is an arbitrary value, but is preferably set to an extent that does not hinder TV viewing. If it is detected in process D1 that the battery is not in the charged state, the process proceeds to process D3. If the battery level is greater than the threshold value Va, the process proceeds to process D4, and the frame rate is set to fs. When the battery level is equal to or lower than the threshold value Va in the process D3, the frame rate is set to fs / n (arbitrary value of n> 0) and the frame rate is lowered. The process D1 of the fourth embodiment can be applied to the second, third, and fourth embodiments in which a plurality of threshold values are set.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, whether to use the control function can be set by inputting the validity / invalidity of the control function of the frame rate according to the battery level from the key 16 of the cellular phone on the menu screen or the like. be able to. In addition, the plurality of control functions of the first to fourth embodiments can be mounted on the mobile phone, and it can be configured to select which control function is operated by the key 16. The user setting can be stored in the memory 13 or the like, and the setting function can be activated after the power is turned on. Similarly, the number of threshold values, threshold values, fs, n, m, and l can be set as user settings. Further, it is apparent that the present invention can be similarly applied to reception of digital TV signals regardless of reception of analog TV signals.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the on / off control of the operation of the video detector and the NTSC decoder is performed has been described. However, the on / off control target is a baseband signal that consumes a considerable amount of power. It can be realized by targeting the image processing unit to be handled, and it is obvious that the operation of the video detection unit or the NTSC decoder can be controlled.

It is a figure which shows the structure of Embodiment 1 of the mobile telephone apparatus with a TV function of this invention. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit 10 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the process of the intermittent operation | movement or continuous operation | movement of Embodiment 1 with a flowchart. It is a figure which shows the time chart of the continuous operation | movement of the image | video detection part 8 and the NTSC decoder 9. FIG. It is a figure which shows the time chart of the intermittent operation | movement (n = 2) of the image | video detection part 8 and the NTSC decoder 9. FIG. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of other Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the time chart of the intermittent operation | movement (m = 4) of the image | video detection part 8 and the NTSC decoder 9. FIG. It is a figure which shows the current consumption of each block of the receiving system of TV receiver. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of other Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control part of other Embodiment 4 of this invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of the fourth embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antenna 2 Diplexer 3 PDC antenna switch 4 PDC receiving part 5 PDC transmitting part 6 TV receiving part 7 Audio | voice detection part 8 Video | video detection part 9 NTSC decoder 10 Control part 11 LCD (display part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Frame rate control part 101 Battery level detection part 102 Reading part 103 Threshold value setting part 104 Comparison part 105 Stabilization power supply part 106 Operation control part 106 Charge detection part

Claims (7)

A mobile phone device with a TV function comprising a TV receiver for receiving a TV signal of a predetermined reception frame rate,
When the battery level of the image processing unit and the built-in battery is larger than a predetermined threshold, the image processing unit is operated so that the reception frame rate becomes a maximum frame rate, or a frame rate less than the reception frame rate The image processing unit is selectively operated for each frame so that the frame rate becomes the maximum frame rate, and when the battery level is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the frame rate is lower than the maximum frame rate. And a frame rate control unit for selectively operating the image processing unit. A mobile phone device with a TV function comprising a TV receiver for receiving a TV signal of a predetermined reception frame rate,
An image processing unit, a plurality of thresholds having different sizes with respect to the battery level of the built-in battery, and a plurality of frame rates that decrease from the maximum frame rate in the order of the threshold values are set, and the battery level A frame rate control unit that selectively operates the image processing unit for each frame so as to obtain a frame rate that decreases in accordance with a decrease in the battery level based on a comparison result with the plurality of threshold values. A mobile phone device with a TV function.   3. The mobile phone with a TV function according to claim 1, wherein, when a charger for charging the battery is connected, the frame rate control unit operates at the maximum frame rate regardless of the battery level. Telephone device.   4. The operation of the image processing unit for each frame is performed by controlling power supply, and the power supply is started from the front edge of the frame for a period required for stable operation. Mobile phone device with TV function.   The frame rate control unit includes a battery level detection unit that detects a battery level of the battery, a comparison unit that compares the battery level detected by the battery level detection unit with the threshold value, and a comparison result of the comparison unit for each frame. 5. The mobile phone with a TV function according to claim 1, further comprising: a video detection unit as the image processing unit and an operation control unit that controls on / off of the operation of the NTSC decoder. apparatus.   6. The mobile telephone device with a TV function according to claim 1, wherein the validity or invalidity of the variable control of the frame rate can be set by a user setting.   The mobile telephone device with a TV function according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a function of receiving a digital TV signal.

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