JP2006157147A - Battery driven type information processing terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery driven type information processing terminal capable of preventing in advance the occurrence of a defect in prescribed information processing caused by a power failure by surely inhibiting particular information processing when a residual capacity of a battery is decreased to a warning level. <P>SOLUTION: The information processing terminal detects the residual capacity of the battery and determines whether or not the residual capacity of the battery is decreased to a preset warning level. When determined that the residual capacity of the battery is decreased to the preset warning level, the information processing terminal determines whether or not the particular processing is not executed yet. When determined that the particular information processing is not executed yet, the information processing terminal inhibits the execution of the particular information processing, and when determined that the information processing other than the particular information processing is not executed yet, the information processing terminal permits the execution of the information processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing terminal using a battery as a power source, and more particularly to a portable battery-driven information processing terminal having a wireless communication function.

  In recent years, a system has been developed in which a wireless LAN is built in a store, and a card processing with a customer or a product order is made using a portable information processing terminal that performs data communication using the wireless LAN. It has become. By using this system, it is possible to make a payment with a credit card in front of the customer without having the customer move to the cash register wherever the customer is in the store, thus improving the serviceability to the customer be able to. In addition, since it is possible to place an order while confirming the type and quantity of products displayed on the sales floor in the store, the processing efficiency of the ordering work can be improved.

  Such a portable information processing terminal normally uses a battery as a power source. There are various types of batteries, such as those that can be charged, those that cannot be charged, those that can be removed from the terminal, and those that cannot be removed from the terminal. In many cases, the device is devised.

In a printer driven by a battery power source, when the remaining battery level is low, the power consumption mode is selected to generate power-saving print data that can be printed with less power consumption than regular print data. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-316558 A

  However, in a portable information processing terminal driven by a battery power source, the operator can recognize that the remaining amount of the battery is low, but suddenly the battery runs out if he forgets to charge or replace the battery or neglects it. There was a case where information was being lost due to power outage. In particular, power consumption is large when performing wireless communication. For this reason, if a power outage occurs during a payment operation, for example, during a credit inquiry, it may not only develop into a serious problem, but also wait for a long time for the customer to respond to the transaction again. There was a problem of giving distrust and discomfort.

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery-driven information processing terminal that can prevent the occurrence of power interruption due to the battery running out during information processing. Is.

  The present invention provides an information processing terminal that uses a battery as a power source and executes various types of information processing in response to an operation input from an operation input unit. Warning determination means for determining whether or not the battery level has been lowered to a set warning level, and when the warning determination means determines that the remaining battery level has dropped to a preset warning level, before executing a specific information process A process determining means for determining whether or not and a control means are provided. The control means prohibits execution of the information processing when it is determined by the process determination means that it is before execution of the specific information processing, and if it is determined before execution of information processing other than the specific information processing, Allows execution of information processing.

  According to the present invention in which such measures are taken, it is possible to reliably prohibit specific information processing when the remaining battery level drops to the warning level, and power interruption due to battery exhaustion during this specific information processing. A battery-driven information processing terminal that can prevent the occurrence can be provided.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, the salesperson of the store where the wireless LAN system is built carries the information processing related to a series of operations from registration to settlement of products purchased by customers at the sales floor. This is a case where the present invention is applied to a battery-driven information processing terminal capable of performing the above.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an information processing terminal 1 and a cradle 2 having a charging function dedicated to the terminal according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the information processing terminal 1.

  The information processing terminal 1 is provided with a display 12 as a display unit and a keyboard 13 on which numeric keys and various function keys are arranged as an operation input unit by an operator on the front of a portable terminal body 11. Further, a scanner 14 for reading a barcode, a card reader 15 for reading credit card data, and the like are also provided.

  The information processing terminal 1 includes a battery 16 that can be charged as a drive power source in the terminal main body 11, and a charging circuit 17 as a charging unit that charges the battery 16 in the terminal main body 11. Further, a charging terminal 18 connected to the charging circuit 17 and receiving power supply by contacting the power supply terminal 2 a of the cradle 2 is provided on the back surface of the terminal body 11.

  The information processing terminal 1 converts a power supply voltage supplied from the battery 16 into a predetermined drive voltage, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 21, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 22, a wireless circuit The terminal main body 11 includes a power supply circuit 19 that supplies power to each part of the battery voltage detection circuit 24, the keyboard controller 25, the display controller 26, the scanner controller 27, and the card reader controller 28.

  The radio circuit 23 is a circuit for transmitting and receiving radio data by, for example, a 2.4 GHz (gigahertz) band spread spectrum system. The battery voltage detection circuit 24 detects the remaining voltage of the battery 16, converts the voltage value into digital data, and gives it to the CPU 20. The keyboard controller 25 inputs key signals corresponding to operation keys from the keyboard 13 and gives them to the CPU 20. The display controller 26 displays display data on the display 12 under the control of the CPU 20. The scanner controller 27 takes in barcode data read by the scanner 14 and gives it to the CPU 20. The card reader controller 28 takes in credit card data read by the card reader 15 and gives it to the CPU 20.

  The wireless circuit 23, the battery voltage detection circuit 24, and the controllers 25 to 28 are connected to the CPU 20 via a bus line 29 such as an address bus and a data bus together with the ROM 21 and the RAM 22.

  When a predetermined power supply voltage is applied from the power supply circuit 19 by turning on a power switch (not shown), the CPU 20 executes information processing according to the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 based on a program stored in the ROM 21. It has become.

  First, the CPU 20 executes terminal opening processing as ST (step) 1. This processing includes initialization of the RAM 22, confirmation of connection with the wireless LAN system, registration of responsible persons, and the like. When the opening process ends, the CPU 20 resets the process determination flag F to “0”. In ST3, a business menu screen is displayed on the display 12. Then, it waits for the selection of the business menu as ST4.

  Here, when it is confirmed in ST5 that the salesperson registration work is selected by a key operation input, the CPU 20 sets the processing determination flag F to “1” in ST6. Next, a salesperson registration process is executed as ST7. This process is a process for inquiring the store server by wireless communication about the validity of the salesperson code input by the key operation or the barcode scanning operation, and registering the salesperson code in the RAM 22 when there is a permission response.

  If there is a salesperson code permission response, the CPU 20 resets the processing determination flag F to “0” in ST8. Next, a product registration process is executed as ST9. This process is a process for acquiring product sales data based on a product code input by a key operation or a barcode scanning operation, registering it in the RAM 22, and displaying the product name, price, etc. of the sold product on the display 12. . This merchandise registration process is repeatedly executed each time a merchandise code is input until a closing key for declaring the end of a commercial transaction with one customer is input.

  Accordingly, when detecting that the closing key of the keyboard 13 is operated and input as ST10, the CPU 20 executes a settlement process as ST11. This process includes a cash settlement process and a credit settlement process.

  The cash settlement process is a process when the total amount of one transaction is paid in cash. The difference between the keyed deposit amount and the total amount is calculated as a change amount and displayed on the display 12, and the total amount, This is a process of registering cash closing data such as deposit amount and change amount in the RAM 22.

  The credit settlement processing is processing when the total amount of one commercial transaction is paid by a credit card. A credit card settlement approval inquiry read by the card reader 15 is used by a store server or a credit card issuing company using wireless communication. This is a process of displaying a message to that effect on the display 12 and registering credit closing data such as credit card data and a credit settlement amount in the RAM 22.

Thus, when the settlement process is completed, the CPU 20 returns to the process of ST3 and displays the business menu screen on the display 12 again.
If the settlement operation is selected by key operation input in ST12 in a state where this task menu screen is displayed, the CPU 20 sets the processing determination flag F to “1” in ST13. Next, a settlement process is executed as ST14. This process is a process of transmitting registration data such as a responsible person code, salesperson code, merchandise sales data, and settlement data thereof registered in the RAM 22 to the store server using wireless communication. When this checkout process ends, the information processing terminal 1 is turned off.

  Further, the CPU 20 repeatedly executes the battery check process of FIG. 4 until the power is turned off after completing the opening process of ST1. That is, the CPU 20 reads the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 detected by the battery voltage detection circuit 24 as ST21 (remaining amount detection means). Then, as ST22 to ST24, the remaining voltage V is compared with preset three-stage comparison voltages L1, L2, and L3 (L1 <L2 <L3) (warning determination means).

  As a result, when it is confirmed that the remaining voltage V is equal to or higher than the comparison voltage L3 of the highest light warning level (NO in ST24), the current battery check process is terminated. On the other hand, when it is confirmed that the residual voltage V has decreased below the comparison voltage L3 (YES in ST24), the CPU 20 causes the display 12 to display a warning to the operator that the battery 16 is low in ST25. Then, the current battery check process is terminated. The form of the warning display is not particularly limited, and may be a mark or a message, for example.

  When it is confirmed that the remaining voltage V has further decreased below the comparative voltage L2 at the medium warning level lower than the comparative voltage L3 (YES in ST23), the CPU 20 checks the processing determination flag F as ST26 ( Processing judgment means). If the process determination flag F has been reset to “0”, the CPU 20 continues to display a low battery warning in ST25 (control means), and performs the current battery check process. finish.

  On the other hand, when the processing determination flag F is set to “1” and when it is confirmed that the remaining voltage V has further decreased below the comparison voltage L1 of the severe warning level lower than the comparison voltage L2 ( In ST22, the CPU 20 causes the display 12 to display a warning display that prompts the operator to charge the battery 16 in ST27. Note that the display form of the warning display is not particularly limited as in the case of a low battery level, and may be, for example, a mark or a message.

  Thereafter, the CPU 20 repeatedly reads the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 detected by the battery voltage detection circuit 24 as ST28. In ST29, the process waits for the remaining voltage V to rise to a stable comparison voltage L4 higher than the light warning level comparison voltage L3 (control means). As a result, if the battery 16 is charged before the power is completely cut off and the remaining voltage V rises to the comparison voltage L4 or more, the CPU 20 erases the warning display on the display 12 as ST30, and the current battery End the check process.

  In the information processing terminal 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, when the power is turned on, the opening process is executed, and the business menu screen is displayed on the display 12. Carry the customer with the information processing terminal 1 on which the screen is displayed. At this time, the process determination flag F is reset to “0”. For this reason, even if the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 drops below the comparison voltage L2 of the medium warning level, if the comparison voltage L1 of the severe warning level is higher than the comparison voltage L1, only a warning display of the remaining battery level is displayed The operation menu can be selected.

  In this state, when receiving an offer for purchasing a product from a customer, the salesperson selects and operates the salesperson registration work from various business menus, and enters his / her salesperson code to register the salesperson. At this time, the processing determination flag F is temporarily set to “1”. Therefore, when the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 has dropped below the comparative warning voltage L2 of the medium warning level, a warning message for prompting charging is displayed on the display 12, and subsequent operation input is performed until charging is performed. Are all prohibited.

  Now, it is assumed that the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 is higher than the comparative voltage L2 at the medium warning level. In this case, subsequent operation inputs are allowed. Therefore, the salesperson scans the product code of the product purchased by the customer with the scanner 14 and registers the product. Then, after the product registration of all purchased products is completed, the closing key is operated to start the settlement process. At this time, when the customer offers payment by credit card, the card data of the credit card is read by the card reader 15. Then, a credit card payment approval inquiry is made using wireless communication. If there is a response to approve the settlement, the commercial transaction with the customer is terminated.

  When the day's work is completed, the salesperson selects and operates the settlement work from various work menus. Then, the process determination flag F is set to “1”. Therefore, when the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 has dropped below the comparative warning voltage L2 of the medium warning level, a warning message for prompting charging is displayed on the display 12, and subsequent operation input is performed until charging is performed. Are all prohibited.

  Now, it is assumed that the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 is higher than the comparative voltage L2 at the medium warning level. In this case, a settlement process is executed. Then, registration data such as a responsible person code, salesperson code, merchandise sales data and settlement data registered in the RAM 22 is transmitted to the store server using wireless communication, and when the transmission is completed, the power is turned off.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the salesperson registration job or the checkout job is selected from the various job menus that can be executed by the information processing terminal 1, the processing determination flag F is set to “1”. set. Then, as a result of checking the remaining voltage V of the battery 16, if the remaining voltage V is lower than the comparative warning voltage L2 at the medium warning level, the processing determination flag F is checked, and if it is set to “1” For example, the subsequent operation input is prohibited until charging is performed.

  Here, the salesperson registration business is a business for declaring the start of one commercial transaction. When the salesperson registration process is normally completed, the registration process and the settlement process for the products sold in the single commercial transaction are executed in a series of flow. Is done. In addition, a credit card is possible as a settlement method, and at that time, an approval inquiry for credit card settlement is performed using wireless communication. For this reason, the battery 16 is consumed very much, and if the remaining voltage V is equal to or lower than the comparison voltage L2 at the time of salesperson registration, the battery may run out and a power failure may occur. However, in the present embodiment, if the residual voltage V is equal to or lower than the comparison voltage L2 at the time of salesperson registration, subsequent operation input is prohibited until charging is performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem that a power interruption occurs and the business transaction is restarted from the beginning.

  On the contrary, if the residual voltage V is higher than the comparison voltage L2 at the time of salesperson registration, the subsequent product registration processing and settlement processing are permitted. Even if the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 falls below the comparison voltage L2 during the merchandise registration process or the settlement process, the subsequent operation input is not prohibited. Therefore, due to the voltage drop of the battery 16, there can be no problem that interrupts a series of processes from the product registration process to the settlement process.

  Moreover, since the checkout operation transmits the registration data stored in the RAM 22 to the store server using wireless communication, the wireless communication time is long. For this reason, the battery 16 is exhausted too much, and if the residual voltage V is equal to or lower than the comparison voltage L2 at the time of salesperson registration, the battery may run out and a power failure may occur. However, in this embodiment, when the residual voltage V is equal to or lower than the comparison voltage L2 when the checkout operation is selected, the subsequent operation input is prohibited until charging is performed, so that the registration data is not sent midway. The problem of disappearing can be prevented in advance.

  Incidentally, if the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 is lower than the comparison voltage L2 at the medium warning level, there is a possibility that the power interruption may occur during the subsequent information processing. By setting the voltage at the boundary where there is no risk of interruption of power during the information processing, the operational effects of the present embodiment can be reliably achieved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the comparison voltage with the remaining voltage V of the battery 16 is set in three stages, a mild warning level, a medium warning level, and a severe warning level. When it is detected that the residual voltage V of the battery 16 has dropped below the comparative warning voltage L2 at the medium warning level, the processing determination flag F may be examined to control the same as described above. In this case, power interruption may occur during the execution of information processing other than specific information processing, but any processing that does not cause a problem even when power interruption occurs may be used.

  Moreover, although the information processing terminal 1 using the rechargeable battery 16 has been described in the above embodiment, the information processing terminal using the non-rechargeable battery is also replaced with a warning display that prompts charging in the process of ST27. The present invention can be similarly applied by performing a warning display for prompting battery replacement.

  In the above-described embodiment, the specific information processing is performed before the salesperson registration business and the checkout business. However, the present invention is not limited to the execution of these processes, and the user needs It goes without saying that it can be set appropriately according to the situation.

  In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, the constituent elements over different embodiments may be combined.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the information processing terminal and cradle which are one embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the information processing terminal in the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the main information processing which CPU of the information processing terminal performs. The flowchart which shows the principal part of the battery check process which CPU of the information processing terminal performs.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information processing terminal, 2 ... Cradle, 12 ... Display, 13 ... Keyboard, 14 ... Scanner, 15 ... Card reader, 16 ... Battery, 17 ... Charging circuit, 20 ... CPU, 24 ... Battery voltage detection circuit

Claims (3)

In a battery-driven information processing terminal that uses a battery as a power source and executes various types of information processing according to operation inputs from an operation input unit.
A remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the battery;
Warning determination means for determining whether or not the remaining amount of the battery has decreased to a preset warning level;
When it is determined by the warning determination means that the remaining amount of the battery has decreased to a preset warning level, a process determination means for determining whether or not the specific information processing is executed,
If it is determined by the process determining means that the information processing is not performed, the information processing is prohibited, and if it is determined that the information processing other than the specific information processing is performed, the information Control means for permitting execution of the process;
A battery-driven information processing terminal comprising:   When it is determined that the specific information processing has not been executed, the control means prohibits the execution of the information processing and displays a warning prompting the battery to be charged, and executes information processing other than the specific information processing. 2. The battery-driven information processing terminal according to claim 1, wherein if it is determined to be before, execution of the information processing is permitted and a warning display indicating a decrease in the capacity of the battery is performed. The information processing terminal is a portable terminal having a wireless communication function,
The battery-driven information processing terminal according to claim 1, wherein the specific information processing is information processing including wireless communication processing.

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