JP2006033409A - Mobile telephone set, and managing method and management control program for secondary battery used for the same mobile telephone set - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile telephone set which recommends a user to charge a battery at a proper time and that the user can use without being aware of the remaining capacity of the battery. <P>SOLUTION: The battery consumption of each function is calculated by an arithmetic part 22 and stored in a storage part 25 as in-period battery consumption data accumulated within a certain period up to now. A comparison part 23a compares the in-period battery consumption data stored in the storage part 25 with the remaining capacity of the battery 19 and gives a recommendation notice of charging to the user when the in-period battery consumption data are larger than the remaining capacity, so that the user can determine whether the battery needs to be charged before becoming flat and use the mobile telephone set without being aware of the battery remaining capacity. Further, a charging quantity per unit time is known from the quantity of charging to the battery 19, so that a battery consumption needed for one day is compared with a charging quantity per unit time to charge the battery in an irreducible necessary time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile phone, a secondary battery management method and a secondary battery management control program used for the mobile phone, and in particular, a mobile phone suitable for use by a user without being aware of the remaining capacity of the secondary battery. The present invention relates to a secondary battery management method and a secondary battery management control program used for the mobile phone.

  In a mobile phone that operates using a secondary battery as a power source, when the power is turned on, the remaining capacity of the secondary battery is automatically displayed on the display unit, and a screen indicating the level of the remaining capacity by a predetermined operation. Is displayed and a dial tone corresponding to the same level is emitted.

  Conventionally, this type of mobile phone has an antenna 1, a radio unit 2, a memory unit 3, a key operation unit 4, a control unit 5, a display unit 6, and a speaker 7 as shown in FIG. And a camera 8, a battery 9, and a battery monitoring unit 10. The antenna 1 receives a radio wave W emitted from a radio base station (not shown). The wireless unit 2 performs wireless data transmission / reception processing via the antenna 1 and generates a reception signal R corresponding to the radio wave W when the radio wave W is received via the antenna 1. The memory unit 3 includes a RAM (Randam Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like, and various programs for operating the mobile phone, user ID information, information unique to the mobile phone such as a telephone number, and the like. As well as melodies and images downloaded by the user. The key operation unit 4 includes, for example, a transmission key, an English / Kana / Kanji / number conversion key, a power on / off key, a cross key for cursor operation, an end key, and the like. It is a means for performing various operations such as inputting characters and selecting items.

  The control unit 5 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and controls the entire mobile phone. The display unit 6 is composed of a liquid crystal display device, for example, and displays various information such as the remaining capacity level and date / time of the battery 8. The speaker 7 sounds a ringing tone to audibly notify the user of an incoming call and also utters a call voice. The camera 8 is composed of a CCD camera, for example, and captures an image near the mobile phone. The battery 9 is composed of, for example, a lithium ion battery and is used as a power source for the mobile phone. The battery monitoring unit 10 includes an A / D converter that converts the voltage v of the battery 9 from analog to digital (A / D).

  In this cellular phone, when the power is turned on, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the remaining capacity of the battery 8 is automatically displayed in the remaining capacity display area 6a of the display unit 6. In this case, when there is sufficient remaining capacity, all the segments s1, s2, and s3 are displayed as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the remaining capacity is low, segments s1 and s2 are displayed as shown in FIG. When there is almost no remaining capacity, only the segment s1 is displayed as shown in FIG.

  Further, when the user performs an operation of displaying the remaining capacity of the battery 9, a screen showing the level of the remaining capacity is displayed and a dial tone corresponding to the level is emitted. In this case, when there is sufficient remaining capacity, as shown in FIG. 7A, the display area 6a of FIG. 6B is displayed enlarged and “sufficiently remaining” is displayed, and A dial tone “beep” is emitted. When the remaining capacity is low, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the display area 6a of FIG. 6 (c) is enlarged and displayed, “still ok” is displayed, and the beep tone “pip” is displayed. Is issued. When there is almost no remaining capacity, as shown in FIG. 7 (c), the display area 6a of FIG. 6 (d) is enlarged and displayed, “It is almost time to charge”, and the dial tone “beep” is displayed. Be emitted.

  As described above, in this mobile phone, the user must check the remaining capacity of the battery 8 by actively viewing the display screen. Therefore, there is almost no remaining capacity when visually observed. is there. For this reason, even if the user confirms the remaining capacity of the battery 8, there is a problem in that the user may not be able to use the mobile phone after that.

Conventionally, techniques for improving such problems have been described in the following documents, for example.
In the mobile phone described in Patent Document 1 (“mobile wireless terminal” in the same document), the value of the remaining battery level for prompting charging is set by the user operating the key input unit. Then, when the battery voltage detected by the battery voltage detection circuit has dropped to the set value, this is displayed on the display unit, and after that, when a predetermined time elapses, a notification sound is produced. For this reason, the recommendation notification of the charge accompanying battery consumption is performed appropriately.
JP 2001-69207 A (Abstract, FIG. 1)

However, the above conventional mobile phone has the following problems.
That is, in the mobile phone described in Patent Document 1, the remaining battery level is set to prompt charging by the user's operation, and charging is prompted when the remaining battery level falls below the set value. However, since the setting of the value of the remaining capacity of the battery depends on the experience and intuition of the user, if the setting value is not appropriate, the notification is performed earlier than necessary, or There is a problem that notification is not performed even when charging is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a mobile phone that provides a user with a charge recommendation notice at an appropriate time and can be used without the user being aware of the remaining battery capacity. It is said.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 relates to a mobile phone that performs a predetermined operation using a secondary battery as a power source, and based on the usage status of the mobile phone for a certain period in the past from the present, A secondary battery that determines whether or not the secondary battery needs to be charged within a predetermined period thereafter and issues a charging recommendation notification to prompt the user to charge the secondary battery when determined to be necessary The management means is provided.

  The invention described in claim 2 relates to the mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the mobile phone has one or a plurality of functions, and the secondary battery management means is a battery per unit time of the mobile phone. A first storage unit that stores a unit time consumption amount representing consumption for each function in advance, a time measuring unit that measures a usage time of the mobile phone for each function, and a first storage unit. Calculation means for calculating a battery consumption amount for each function based on the unit time consumption amount and the usage time measured by the timing means; and battery consumption for each function calculated by the calculation means Second storage means for storing battery consumption data within a period in which the amount is accumulated within a certain period in the past from the present, remaining capacity detection means for detecting the remaining capacity of the secondary battery, and the battery within the period Consumption data and the secondary battery Comparing the presence capacity, when towards the remaining capacity is less than the battery consumption data in the period, is characterized by comprising a charging recommendation notifying means for performing the charging recommendation notifications.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the mobile phone according to the second aspect, wherein the in-period battery consumption data is set to a battery consumption in a period of 24 hours before the present time.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the mobile phone according to the second aspect, wherein the charging recommendation notification means is configured to perform the charging recommendation notification at a time set by a user.

  The invention according to claim 5 relates to the mobile phone according to claim 2, wherein the in-period battery consumption data is a battery consumption in a period from a present to a plurality of days ago, and the computing means The battery consumption per day is calculated based on the consumption data and the period, and the battery consumption per day calculated by the computing means is compared with the remaining capacity of the secondary battery, A remaining time notification means for notifying the remaining time of the secondary battery is provided.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention relates to the mobile phone according to the fifth aspect, wherein the remaining time notification means is configured to notify the remaining time of the secondary battery at a time set by a user. It is said.

  The invention according to claim 7 relates to a secondary battery management method, and is used in a mobile phone that performs a predetermined operation using a secondary battery as a power source. Based on the usage status of the mobile phone in a certain period in the past from the present, It is determined whether or not the secondary battery needs to be charged within a predetermined period after the present, and when it is determined that charging is necessary, a charging recommendation notification is made to prompt the user to charge the secondary battery. It is a feature.

  The invention according to claim 8 relates to a secondary battery management control program, and causes a computer to control the mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the secondary battery management means determines whether or not the secondary battery needs to be charged within a predetermined period from now on, based on the usage status of the mobile phone in a certain period from the present to the present. If it is determined that it is necessary, a charging recommendation notification is made to prompt the user to charge the secondary battery, so the user determines whether or not charging is necessary before the battery runs out. Mobile phone can be used without being aware of the remaining battery level. In addition, since the amount of charge per unit time is known from the amount of charge for the secondary battery, charging is performed in the minimum necessary time by comparing the amount of battery consumption required per day with the amount of charge per unit time. It becomes possible. In addition, since the remaining time of the secondary battery is notified by the remaining time notification means, the user can determine whether or not the battery needs to be charged before the battery runs out. Can be used.

  Based on the usage status of the mobile phone in a certain period from the present to the past, for example, it is determined whether or not the secondary battery needs to be charged within 24 hours. Provided is a mobile phone that performs a charging recommendation notification for prompting charging of the next battery.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a main part of a mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the cellular phone in this example includes an antenna 11, a radio unit 12, a memory unit 13, a key operation unit 14, a control unit 15, a display unit 16, a speaker 17, and a camera 18. And a battery 19 and a battery monitoring unit 20. The antenna 11 receives a radio wave W emitted from a radio base station (not shown). The radio unit 12 performs transmission / reception processing of radio data via the antenna 11 and generates a reception signal R corresponding to the radio wave W when the radio wave W is received via the antenna 11. The memory unit 13 includes a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and stores various programs for operating the mobile phone, user ID information, information unique to the mobile phone such as a telephone number, and the user downloads the information. It also stores data such as melody and images. The key operation unit 14 includes, for example, a transmission key, an alphabet / kana / kanji / number conversion key, a power on / off key, a cross key for cursor operation, an end key, and the like. It is a means for performing various operations such as inputting characters and selecting items.

  The control unit 15 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 15a that controls the entire mobile phone and a ROM 15b in which a secondary battery management control program for operating the CPU 15a is recorded. The display unit 16 is composed of a liquid crystal display device, for example, and displays various information such as the remaining capacity level and date / time of the battery 18. The speaker 17 sounds a call sound in addition to notifying the user of the incoming call audibly by ringing a ringtone. The camera 18 is composed of a CCD camera, for example, and captures an image near the mobile phone. The battery 19 is composed of a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, for example, and is used as a power source for the mobile phone. When the battery monitoring unit 20 determines whether or not the battery 19 needs to be charged within a predetermined period after the present based on the usage status of the mobile phone in a certain period in the past from the present, A charge recommendation notification is made to prompt the user to charge the battery 19.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the battery monitoring unit 20 in FIG.
The battery monitoring unit 20 includes a state monitoring unit 21, a calculation unit 22, a notification unit 23, and storage units 24 and 25. The state monitoring unit 21 includes a state determination unit 21a and a time measurement unit 21b. Based on the function information from the control unit 15, the state determination unit 21a is currently used among the functions (for example, a call function, a standby function, a camera function, an Internet connection function, etc.) equipped in the mobile phone. The function is determined, and the determination result is notified to the storage unit 24, and the start of use is notified to the time measurement unit 21b based on the measurement start command from the control unit 15. The time measurement unit 21b measures the usage time of the mobile phone for each function based on the notification from the state determination unit 21a.

  The storage unit 24 is configured by a ROM or the like, for example, and stores in advance a unit time consumption amount representing a battery consumption amount per unit time of the mobile phone for each function. The unit time consumption for each function is, for example, 3 mA during standby, 350 mA during a call, and the like. The calculation unit 22 calculates the battery consumption for each function based on the unit time consumption stored in the storage unit 24 and the usage time measured by the time measurement unit 21 b and stores the battery consumption in the storage unit 25. Further, the calculation unit 22 reads the battery consumption up to the previous time stored in the storage unit 25, and saves the result of adding the current battery consumption and the previous battery consumption in the storage unit 25 again. . The storage unit 25 is composed of, for example, a RAM, and stores in-period battery consumption data in which the battery consumption for each function calculated by the calculation unit 22 is accumulated within a certain period in the past from the present. In particular, in this embodiment, the in-period battery consumption data is set to the battery consumption during the period from the present to 24 hours ago.

  The notification unit 23 includes a comparison unit 23a. The comparison unit 23a includes an ADC (A / D converter) 23b. The ADC 23 b detects the remaining capacity of the battery 19 by A / D converting the voltage v of the battery 19. The comparison unit 23a compares the in-period battery consumption data stored in the storage unit 25 with the remaining capacity of the battery 19, and when the remaining capacity is smaller than the in-synchronous battery consumption data, Make a recommendation notification. In particular, in this embodiment, the comparison unit 23a makes the above-mentioned charging recommendation notification by a command from the state determination unit 21a at the time set by the user. This charging recommendation notification is made visually or audibly depending on the setting of the user.

Next, processing contents of the secondary battery management method used in the mobile phone of this example will be described.
In this mobile phone, it is determined whether or not the battery 19 needs to be charged within a predetermined period after the present based on the usage status of the mobile phone in a certain period in the past from the present. A charge recommendation notification is made to prompt the user to charge the battery 19. That is, when the user operates the key operation unit 14, the state monitoring start time, the state monitoring report time, and the state monitoring report notification method are set. Thereafter, when the state monitoring start time is reached, the following processing is performed. Based on the function information from the control unit 15, the state determination unit 21a in the state monitoring unit 21 notifies the storage unit 24 of the standby state and simultaneously notifies the time measurement unit 21b of the start of use. The time measurement part 21b starts time measurement by receiving this notification. The storage unit 24 outputs the battery consumption (unit time consumption) consumed per unit time in the standby state stored in advance to the calculation unit 22.

  Thereafter, when the user uses a specific function (for example, a call function, a camera function, a mail function, an Internet connection function, etc.), the state determination unit 21a notifies the time measurement unit 21b that the state has changed. After notifying the calculation unit 22 of the standby state time, the time measurement unit 21b starts measuring the usage time for the function selected by the user. The calculation unit 22 calculates the battery consumption consumed during standby from the standby state time from the time measurement unit 21 b and the unit time consumption output from the storage unit 24, and sends it to the storage unit 25. This battery consumption is stored in the storage unit 25. When the function selected by the user is finished, the state determination unit 21a determines that the standby state is set. Then, the state determination unit 21a notifies the time measurement unit 21b that the state has changed.

  The time measurement unit 21b notifies the calculation unit 22 of the usage time of the specific function selected by the user, and then starts measuring the usage time in the standby state. The calculation unit 22 calculates the consumed battery consumption from the usage time (unit time consumption) sent from the time measurement unit 21b and the battery consumption required for a specific function output from the storage unit 24. To do. The calculation unit 22 sends the result of adding the battery consumption consumed during the previous standby read from the storage unit 25 to the storage unit 25 again. This addition result is stored in the storage unit 25. These operations are repeated until the state monitoring report time set by the user is reached.

  When the state monitoring report time set by the user is reached, the state determination unit 21 a notifies the comparison unit 23 a in the notification unit 23. Receiving this notification, the comparison unit 23a reads the battery consumption consumed from the start of the state monitoring to the present time from the storage unit 25, compares the battery consumption with the remaining capacity of the battery 19, and the battery consumption is the same. When it is larger than the remaining capacity, notification is performed by a state monitoring report notification method set by the user. In this case, for example, a dial tone and a melody are sounded from the speaker 17 and a screen similar to the conventional screen shown in FIG. The user performs an action of charging the battery 19 by this notification. Thereafter, the comparison unit 23a compares the charge amount of the battery 19 with the battery consumption amount stored in the storage unit 25, and when the charge amount exceeds the same battery consumption amount, the set state monitoring is performed. After notifying the user by using the report notification method again, the battery consumption stored in the storage unit 25 is cleared.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the battery consumption for each function is calculated by the calculation unit 22 and accumulated within a certain period in the past from the present to the storage unit 25 as in-period battery consumption data. Remembered. The comparison unit 23a compares the in-period battery consumption data stored in the storage unit 25 with the remaining capacity of the battery 19, and if the in-synchronization battery consumption data is greater than the remaining capacity, the user is advised to charge. Since the notification is performed, the user can determine whether or not the battery needs to be charged before the battery runs out, and can use the mobile phone without being aware of the remaining battery level. In addition, since the amount of charge per unit time can be determined from the amount of charge for the battery 19, it is possible to charge the battery in the minimum necessary time by comparing the amount of battery consumption required per day with the amount of charge per unit time. Is possible.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the main part of the mobile phone according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Elements common to the elements in FIG. 1 showing the first embodiment are common. The code | symbol is attached | subjected.
In the mobile phone of this example, a battery monitoring unit 20A having a different function is provided instead of the battery monitoring unit 20 in FIG. The battery monitoring unit 20A calculates the battery consumption per day based on the usage status of the mobile phone in a period from the present to a plurality of days ago (for example, one week ago), and the battery is charged within one day after the present. It is determined whether or not the battery 19 needs to be charged. If it is determined that charging is necessary, a charging recommendation notification is made to prompt the user to charge the battery 19. The other configuration is the same as that shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the battery monitoring unit 20A in FIG. 3. Elements common to those in FIG. 2 showing the first embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals.
In the battery monitoring unit 20A, a calculation unit 22A, a notification unit 23A, and a storage unit 25A having different functions are provided instead of the calculation unit 22, the notification unit 23, and the storage unit 25 in FIG. The storage unit 25A stores in-period battery consumption data in which the battery consumption for each function calculated by the calculation unit 22A is accumulated within a certain period in the past from the present. In particular, in this embodiment, the in-period battery consumption data is set to the battery consumption for a period of up to one week before, for example, based on the current time. In addition to the function of the calculation unit 22, the calculation unit 22A calculates the battery consumption per day based on the intra-period battery consumption data and the period (one week) stored in the storage unit 25A. In the notification unit 23A, a comparison unit 23c is provided instead of the comparison unit 23a in FIG. In addition to the function of the comparison unit 23a, the comparison unit 23c compares the battery consumption per day calculated by the calculation unit 22A with the remaining capacity of the battery 19 detected by the ADC 23b, and calculates the remaining time of the battery 19 Notification is made at the time set by the user. In this case, for example, a dial tone is emitted from the speaker 17 and a screen indicating the remaining time of the battery 19 is displayed on the display unit 16.

  As described above, in this second embodiment, the battery consumption per day and the remaining capacity of the battery 19 are compared, and the remaining time of the battery 19 is notified at the time set by the user. The user can determine whether or not charging is necessary before the battery runs out, and can use the mobile phone without being aware of the remaining battery level. In addition, since the amount of charge per unit time can be determined from the amount of charge for the battery 19, it is possible to charge the battery in the minimum necessary time by comparing the amount of battery consumption required per day with the amount of charge per unit time. Is possible.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiment, and even if there is a design change without departing from the gist of the present invention, Included in the invention.
For example, in the first embodiment, the state monitoring start time, the state monitoring report time, and the state monitoring report notification method are set by the user operating the key operation unit 14, but may be set in advance. Further, the charging recommendation notification may be made tactilely in addition to being made visually or audibly. In this case, a mechanical vibrator is provided in the mobile phone, and mechanical vibration is generated by the vibrator.

  The present invention can be applied to a mobile phone that operates using a secondary battery as a power source and a portable information terminal that is equivalent to the mobile phone.

It is a block diagram which shows the electrical constitution of the principal part of the mobile telephone which is 1st Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the battery monitoring part 20 in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the principal part of the mobile telephone which is 2nd Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of 20 A of battery monitoring parts in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the principal part of the conventional mobile telephone. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display screen of a remaining battery capacity in the mobile phone of FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display screen of a remaining battery capacity in the mobile phone of FIG. 5.

Explanation of symbols

11 Antenna (part of mobile phone)
12 Radio unit (part of mobile phone)
13 Memory (part of mobile phone)
14 Key operation part (part of mobile phone)
15 Control unit (part of mobile phone)
16 Display (part of mobile phone)
17 Speaker (part of mobile phone)
18 Camera (part of mobile phone)
19 Battery (secondary battery)
20, 20A battery monitoring unit (secondary battery management means)
21 state monitoring unit 21a state determining unit 21b time measuring unit (time measuring means)
22, 22A calculation unit (calculation means)
23, 23A Notification unit 24 Storage unit (first storage unit)
25, 25A storage unit (second storage means)
23a Comparison unit (charging recommendation notification means)
23b ADC (A / D converter, remaining capacity detection means)
23c Comparison unit (remaining time notification means)

Claims (8)

A mobile phone that performs a predetermined operation using a secondary battery as a power source,
Based on the usage status of the mobile phone in a certain period from the present to the user, whether or not the secondary battery needs to be charged within a predetermined period after the present is determined. A mobile phone comprising a secondary battery management means for providing a charge recommendation notice for prompting charging of the secondary battery. The mobile phone has one or more functions,
The secondary battery management means includes:
First storage means for storing in advance, for each function, a unit time consumption amount representing a battery consumption amount per unit time of the mobile phone;
Time measuring means for measuring the usage time of the mobile phone for each function;
A computing means for calculating a battery consumption for each function based on the unit time consumption stored in the first storage means and the usage time measured by the time measuring means;
Second storage means for storing in-period battery consumption data in which the battery consumption for each function calculated by the calculation means is accumulated within a certain period in the past from the present time;
A remaining capacity detecting means for detecting a remaining capacity of the secondary battery;
Charge recommendation notification means for comparing the battery consumption data within the period and the remaining capacity of the secondary battery and performing the charge recommendation notification when the remaining capacity is smaller than the battery consumption data within the period The mobile phone according to claim 1, further comprising: The battery consumption data in the period is
3. The mobile phone according to claim 2, wherein the mobile phone consumption is set to a battery consumption amount for a period of 24 hours before the present time. The charging recommendation notification means includes:
The mobile phone according to claim 2, wherein the charging recommendation notification is made at a time set by a user. The battery consumption data within the period is the battery consumption in a period from the present to a plurality of days ago,
The computing means is
Based on the battery consumption data within the period and the period, the battery consumption per day is calculated.
Comparing the battery consumption per day calculated by the computing means with the remaining capacity of the secondary battery, there is provided a remaining time notifying means for notifying the remaining time of the secondary battery. The mobile phone according to claim 2. The remaining time notification means includes:
The mobile phone according to claim 5, wherein the mobile phone is configured to notify the remaining time of the secondary battery at a time set by a user. Used in mobile phones that perform a predetermined operation using a secondary battery as a power source,
Based on the usage status of the mobile phone in a certain period from the present to the user, whether or not the secondary battery needs to be charged within a predetermined period after the present is determined. A secondary battery management method comprising performing a charge recommendation notification for prompting charging of the secondary battery.   A secondary battery management control program for causing a computer to control the mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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