JP2007014068A - Fuel cell built-in type portable terminal device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control the power generation of a fuel cell, taking the property as a portable terminal used in various situation into consideration, in a fuel cell built-in type portable terminal device. <P>SOLUTION: A mobile phone system is equipped with a touch sensor 13 which detects a user holding a device body in hand, an acceleration sensor 14 which detects the device body moving, and a GPS part 15 which acquires its current position, in addition to a telephone communication part 5, and besides it is equipped with a fuel cell 18 using methanol fuel, in addition to the secondary cell 17, as a main drive source. CPU1 determines whether or no it is improper situation for the power generation of the fuel cell 18, based on whether the user is bearing a portable telephone, whether the portable phone is moving, whether it is transmitting communication waves, or whether the user is in a specified place such as the inside of a hospital, the inside of a car, etc. Based on this determination results, it starts the control (start/stop) of the power generation of the fuel cell 18. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel cell built-in portable terminal device and a program capable of supplying power by power generation of a built-in fuel cell.

In recent years, there has been a demand for an increase in battery capacity with the increase in the number of functions of mobile terminal devices and the increase in screen size. As a response to this demand, for example, a hybrid incorporating a secondary battery and a fuel cell. A battery-type portable terminal device is known.
And as a portable terminal device with a built-in fuel cell, for example, the remaining battery level of a fuel cell (methanol fuel cell) and a nickel metal hydride battery is detected, and the battery to be used is switched to either one based on the detection result. A power supply switching device is known (see Patent Document 1). In addition to switching between the fuel cell and the secondary battery according to the size of the load, unconditionally charging the fuel cell to the secondary battery when the remaining battery level is low or when the power is turned off. There is known a portable device that performs the above (see Patent Document 2).
JP 2004-120887 A JP 2005-11626 A

  In the technique of Patent Document 1 described above, the fuel cell and the secondary battery are simply switched, whereas in the technique of Patent Document 2, charging from the fuel cell to the secondary battery is possible. Regardless of the state of the portable terminal, charging is performed when the remaining amount of the secondary battery is low or when the power is turned off.

  By the way, in the case of using a fuel cell as a power source of a notebook PC (personal computer) used on a desk or the like, no particular problem arises regardless of the circumstances under which the fuel cell generates power. However, for example, in mobile terminal devices that can be used in various places and sometimes used in harsh environments or even in harsh environments, the fuel cell can generate electricity depending on the current situation. The fuel cell may be unstable and may affect the power generation of the fuel cell due to a sudden rise in the terminal temperature during transmission of communication radio waves. Furthermore, the fuel cell generates power using methanol fuel. Then, since the chemical reaction generates heat of about 40 degrees, and water vapor and carbon dioxide are generated, it may cause discomfort to the user in some cases, Fear to apply 惑 was also there.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to control power generation of a fuel cell in a portable terminal device with a built-in fuel cell in consideration of the characteristics as a portable terminal used under various circumstances.

The invention described in claim 1 is a portable terminal device with a built-in fuel cell capable of supplying power by power generation of the built-in fuel cell, and acquires information related to the characteristics of the portable terminal as a current situation. A determination means for determining whether or not a condition for controlling the power generation of the fuel cell is established based on a current situation obtained by the acquisition means, and based on whether or not the condition is satisfied by the determination means And a power generation control means for controlling power generation of the fuel cell.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the main functions shown in the invention described in claim 1 is provided to the computer (the invention described in claim 14).

The invention described in claim 1 may be as follows.
The acquisition means acquires, as the current status, whether the mobile phone is held by the hand holding the device body, whether the mobile phone is moving, whether the communication radio wave is being transmitted, whether the incoming call is received, or not. Based on whether or not the current situation obtained by the means is at least one of the following situations: carrying, carrying, sending communication radio waves, or receiving a call, the determining means determines whether the condition is satisfied (Invention of claim 2).

  The acquisition means acquires a current position as a current situation, and the determination means determines whether or not a condition is satisfied based on whether or not the current position obtained by the acquisition means is a specific place (claim) Item 3).

 In addition to the fuel cell, a secondary battery charged with the electric power generated by the fuel cell is provided (the invention according to claim 4).

In this case, there is provided a remaining amount monitoring means for monitoring whether or not the remaining battery level of the secondary battery is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. May determine whether the condition is satisfied or not (the invention according to claim 5).
In addition, when a user operation instructs that the power generated by the fuel cell should be charged to the secondary battery, the determination unit may determine whether or not a condition is satisfied (claims). 6).

In addition, when charging the secondary battery with the power generated by the fuel cell, confirmation information for inquiring whether or not to generate power may be output (the invention according to claim 7).
In this case, when the apparatus main body is connected to a specific device, the output of the confirmation information for inquiring whether or not the power generation is necessary may be omitted (the invention according to claim 8).

Furthermore, detection means for detecting the fuel remaining amount of the fuel cell and the battery remaining amount of the secondary battery may be provided, and each remaining amount detected by the detection means may be identified and displayed. Described invention).
Further, it is determined whether the power supplied from the fuel cell is used as a driving power source for the apparatus body or the power supplied from the secondary battery is used as a driving power source for the apparatus body, and identification display is performed based on the determination result. (Invention of claim 10).

  Further, during the charging in which the electric power generated by the fuel cell is being charged to the secondary battery, the power generation control means has changed to a situation not suitable for power generation by the fuel cell based on the determination result by the determination means. In such a case, the charging from the fuel cell to the secondary battery is interrupted, and the charging from the fuel cell to the secondary battery may be resumed when the situation changes to a state suitable for power generation. Described invention).

  The discriminating unit discriminates whether or not a condition is satisfied within a predetermined time zone (the invention according to claim 12).

  The acquisition means acquires manner mode / radio wave prohibition mode designation information as a current situation, and is based on whether or not the manner mode or radio wave prohibition mode obtained by the acquisition means is set to at least one of the modes. The determination means determines whether or not the condition is satisfied (invention of claim 13).

  According to the first aspect of the invention, information related to the characteristics of the mobile terminal is acquired as the current situation, and it is determined whether or not a condition for controlling the power generation of the fuel cell is established based on the current situation. Since the power generation of the fuel cell is controlled based on whether or not this condition is satisfied, the power generation of the fuel cell can be controlled in consideration of the characteristics as a portable terminal used under various situations. In other words, the power generation of the fuel cell can be started when the apparatus main body is placed on the desk and is in a stable state, such as when it is suitable for power generation of the fuel cell. In addition to being possible, even if heat generation, water vapor, and carbon dioxide are generated during power generation, power generation control that considers the characteristics as a mobile terminal is possible, such as not causing discomfort to the user and causing trouble to the surroundings. Become.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effect as the first aspect of the invention described above, whether the mobile phone is carrying the device main body in hand, whether the mobile phone is moving, Whether the current status is whether the call is being made or not, and whether the current status is at least one of the following: possession of mobile phone, movement of mobile phone, transmission of communication radio waves, and reception of incoming call Whether or not the condition is satisfied is determined based on whether or not the condition is satisfied, so that it is prohibited to generate power when it is in an unsuitable condition for power generation of the fuel cell in consideration of the characteristics as a mobile terminal used in various situations can do.

  For example, the device itself may shake greatly or be used violently when it is being carried or moved by hand, and when it is being moved (moving out), the surrounding environment ( Temperature, humidity, etc.), and when radio waves are being transmitted, there is a possibility that the power generation of the fuel cell may be affected by a sudden rise in the terminal temperature. There is a possibility that the main body of the apparatus is greatly shaken by the incoming call notification by vibration. If power generation by the fuel cell is prohibited under such circumstances, and power generation is permitted when other situations occur, stable power generation is possible. Also, if power generation while carrying a cell phone is prohibited, the heat generated during power generation and water vapor will not cause discomfort to the user, and if power generation while carrying a cell phone is prohibited, water vapor will not be generated. It will not cause any trouble to others.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to having the same effect as the invention described in claim 1 above, whether or not the condition is satisfied based on whether or not the current position acquired as the current situation is a specific place Therefore, for example, in a specific place such as in a hospital, in a car, or in an airport, power generation of the fuel cell can be prohibited in consideration of manners to the surroundings.

According to the invention described in claim 4, since the secondary battery charged with the electric power generated by the fuel cell is provided in addition to the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1, it is driven with respect to the apparatus main body. Power can be supplied stably, and the number of external charging using a charger can be reduced.
In this case, since the presence or absence of the condition is determined when the remaining battery level of the secondary battery becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount (the invention according to claim 5), the remaining battery level of the secondary battery decreases. The secondary battery can be charged by generating the fuel cell under certain conditions. In addition, when a user operation instructs that the power generated by the fuel cell should be charged in the secondary battery, it is determined whether or not the condition is satisfied (the invention according to claim 6). Under the initiative of the user, the fuel cell can be generated to charge the secondary battery.

In addition, when charging the power generated by the fuel cell to the secondary battery, confirmation information for inquiring whether or not to generate power is output (the invention according to claim 7). The secondary battery can be charged by generating the battery.
In this case, when the apparatus main body is connected to the specific device, the output of the confirmation information for inquiring whether or not the power generation is necessary is omitted (the invention according to claim 8). Alternatively, when the data communication cable is connected, such as when it is stationary and stable, or when it is not necessary to pay attention to the manners around it, the secondary battery can be generated by generating a fuel cell without inquiring the user. Can be charged.

Further, since the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel cell and the remaining amount of battery in the secondary battery are detected and each remaining amount is identified and displayed (the invention according to claim 9), each remaining amount can be confirmed. It is possible to respond quickly to fuel replenishment and charging.
Further, since it is determined whether the power supplied from the fuel cell is used as a driving power source or the power supplied from the secondary battery is used as a driving power source, the determination result is identified and displayed (the invention according to claim 10). You can check the current battery. In this case, the used battery may be selectively switched by a user operation.

  In addition, during the charging of the power generated by the fuel cell to the secondary battery, when the situation changes to a situation that is not suitable for the power generation of the fuel cell, the charging from the fuel cell to the secondary battery is interrupted, Since the charging from the fuel cell to the secondary battery is resumed when the situation changes to a suitable situation (the invention according to claim 11), even if the current situation changes drastically, the power generation (charging) corresponding to the situation changes rapidly. It becomes possible.

  According to the invention described in claim 12, in addition to having the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1 described above, since the presence or absence of the condition is determined within a predetermined time zone, the life of the user Depending on the style, any time zone can be set as a power generation time zone. For example, the time zone from every evening to the early morning of the following day can be set as a power generation time zone, such as midnight. In addition, it is possible to charge the secondary battery by generating power from the fuel cell within a time period in which the user is unlikely to use the cellular phone device.

  According to the invention described in claim 13, in addition to having the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1, the manner mode and radio wave prohibition mode designation information is acquired as the current situation, and the manner mode and radio wave prohibition mode are obtained. Among them, since it is determined whether the condition is satisfied based on at least one of the modes, it is possible to realize a power generation manner that cares about the surroundings simply by checking the current operation mode. .

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This embodiment exemplifies a case where the present invention is applied to a mobile phone device as a mobile terminal device, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing basic components of the mobile phone device.
The CPU 1 is a central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the mobile phone device according to various programs in the storage unit 2. The storage unit 2 is a non-volatile memory (internal memory), and is configured by, for example, a flash memory, and has a program area and a data area. In the program area, operations shown in FIGS. A program for realizing the present embodiment is stored according to the procedure. The recording medium 3 is a detachable portable memory that supplies photographed image data, various types of data, and programs to the outside. The recording medium 3 includes, for example, smart media and an IC card. The memory 4 is an internal memory having a work area, and is composed of, for example, a DRAM (Direct Random Access Memory), an SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM), or the like.

  The telephone communication unit 5 takes in a signal from the receiving side of the transmission / reception duplexer connected to the antenna 6 and demodulates it into a reception baseband signal, and then outputs it as audio data and video data. The video data is an LCD (liquid crystal display). And the like, and the audio data is output as audio from the speaker 8. In addition, the telephone communication unit 5 encodes the voice data input from the microphone 9 into a transmission baseband signal, and then provides the transmission baseband signal to the transmission side of the transmission / reception duplexer and transmits and outputs from the antenna 6.

  The main display unit 7 displays character information, image information, various icons, and the like with high quality. In addition to the main display unit 7, a sub display unit 10 is provided on the back side of the apparatus main body. Current date and time, simple messages, icons, etc. are displayed. The notification unit 11 includes a speaker for notification such as an incoming notification, an LED (light emitting diode), and a vibration motor. The notification unit 11 performs incoming notification when a call / mail is received or is driven when a warning alarm is issued. The key operation unit 12 includes various push button-type keys, and performs dial input, character input, command input, and the like. The CPU 1 executes processing according to a key input signal from the key operation unit 12.

  The touch sensor 13 is a human body contact detection type sensor that is attached to a plurality of locations on the surface of the device main body (such as a portion that is gripped by a hand during use). During detection (while the hand touches the device main body), a high level detection signal is output. Based on the detection signal from the touch sensor 13, the CPU 1 determines whether or not the user is carrying a portable device holding the apparatus main body. In this case, when monitoring whether or not the mobile phone is being held based on whether or not the device main body is touched, since there is an instantaneous touch, the CPU 1 detects the detection signal of the touch sensor 13 for a certain time (for example, 5 to 10 seconds). If it is continuously at a high level, that is, if a high level state is maintained as a whole including an instantaneous low level, it is determined that the mobile phone is being carried.

  The acceleration sensor 14 constitutes a vibration sensor that detects vibration applied to the apparatus main body during portable movement. The acceleration sensor 14 detects portable movement based on the state of vibration intensity and the regularity of the change thereof. During detection, a high level detection signal is output. The CPU 1 determines whether or not the mobile phone is moving based on the detection signal from the acceleration sensor 14. In this case, when monitoring whether or not the mobile body is moving based on the vibration state of the apparatus main body, the CPU 1 may temporarily stop while moving, so the CPU 1 keeps the acceleration sensor 14 for a certain time (for example, 5 to 10 seconds). If the detection signal is continuously at a high level, that is, if the high level state continues as a whole including the instantaneous low level, it is determined that the mobile phone is moving.

  A GPS (Global Positioning System) unit 15 uses a satellite and a ground control station to receive a current position (longitude and latitude) that is strictly measured from differences in arrival times of radio waves from a plurality of satellites. For example, the current user position (the position of the mobile phone device) is monitored while receiving and acquiring the GPS measurement position by accessing the GPS unit 15 every 1 minute interval. In this embodiment, the GPS unit 15 is used. However, the current position of the user may be measured from the difference in the arrival times of radio waves with respect to a plurality of terrestrial stations or the positional relationship. Here, the CPU 1 accesses the map information in the storage unit 2 or the recording medium 3 based on the current position acquired by the GPS unit 15, and determines whether the current position is in a hospital, in a car, or in an airport, for example. I am doing so.

  The power supply control unit 16 controls the secondary battery 17 and the fuel cell 18 built in the apparatus main body as main drive sources according to instructions from the CPU 1, and includes a charging circuit 19, a remaining amount detection circuit 20, and a battery switching circuit 21. It has the composition which has. In addition, the secondary battery 17 and the fuel cell 18 are incorporated so as to be freely detachable from the apparatus main body, and can be replaced as necessary. The secondary battery 17 is, for example, a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, a lithium ion battery, or the like, and when the apparatus main body is placed (connected) on a cradle stand 31 with a charging function that is cable-connected to an AC power source, Although the secondary battery 17 can be charged by an AC power supply, in this embodiment, in a state where the apparatus main body is placed on the cradle stand 31, the fuel cell 18 generates power to generate power to the secondary battery 17. Charging is also possible. In this case, when placed on the cradle stand 31, it is possible to arbitrarily select whether charging is performed using an AC power source or using the fuel cell 18.

  The fuel cell 18 is, for example, a direct methanol type battery using methanol fuel. When methanol water is directly supplied into the battery by compressed air in the fuel cartridge 18A and air is supplied from the outside at the same time, a chemical reaction is caused. In the chemical reaction, water vapor and carbon dioxide are generated during the chemical reaction. The water vapor and carbon dioxide are discharged from an exhaust port 22 provided on one side of the apparatus body as shown in FIG. . The start / stop of power generation for the fuel cell 18 is controlled by supplying / blocking methanol water and air. Note that the secondary battery 17 is used as a power source as a drive source in supplying / blocking methanol water and air to the fuel cell 18. The fuel cartridge 18A is detachable from the apparatus main body, and can be replaced with a new cartridge 18A when the fuel is used up.

  The charging circuit 19 supplies a charging current to the secondary battery 17 based on the electromotive force generated by the fuel cell 18 and is controlled according to a charging (power generation) start / stop command from the CPU 1. Further, the CPU 1 determines whether or not charging (power generation) is being performed according to whether or not the charging circuit 19 is operating. The remaining amount detection circuit 20 operates when detecting the remaining amount of the battery for each of the secondary battery 17 and the fuel cell 18. For example, for the secondary battery 17, the remaining amount is detected from the battery voltage. In this case, when the remaining battery level (remaining fuel level) of the fuel cell 18 is detected, the remaining fuel level is detected in cooperation with the CPU 1. For example, the accumulated discharge amount is obtained according to the discharge time or discharge current of the fuel cell 18 and the remaining fuel amount is obtained according to the accumulated discharge amount with respect to the total battery capacity, but the measurement method is arbitrary.

The remaining battery level measured for each secondary battery 17 and fuel cell 18 in this way is displayed as an icon in the standby screen so that it can be identified. In this case, the remaining amount level is additionally displayed on the image icon of the secondary battery 17, and the remaining amount level is additionally displayed on the image icon of the fuel cell 18.
The battery switching circuit 21 switches between using the secondary battery 17 or the fuel cell 18 as a main drive source, and is controlled according to a switching command from the CPU 1. In this case, the battery currently used as the main drive source is identified and displayed in the standby screen.

  When the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 17 decreases and becomes less than a predetermined capacity, the CPU 1 generates power from the fuel cell 18 to charge the secondary battery 17 and from the secondary battery 17 as a main drive source. In this case, the CPU 1 determines the current situation, and controls (starts / stops) the power generation of the fuel cell 18 according to the determination result. That is, the CPU 1 determines whether or not the mobile body is carrying the apparatus body in the hand based on the detection signal from the touch sensor 13, whether or not the mobile body is moving based on the detection signal from the acceleration sensor 14, and the telephone communication unit. 5 based on the operation state of 5 or not, and based on the current position acquired from the GPS unit 15 whether it is in a specific place such as in a hospital or in a car. During a radio wave transmission or in a specific place such as a hospital, the power generation of the fuel cell 18 is prohibited or interrupted. In other situations, the power generation of the fuel cell 18 is performed. I'm trying to get started.

  In this case, the power generation time zone that is set arbitrarily in advance by the user in consideration of his / her own lifestyle, for example, the time zone from every evening to the early morning of the following day is set as the power generation time zone. When the vehicle is in operation, power generation of the fuel cell 18 is started within the range of this time zone. However, when such a power generation possible time zone is not set or the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 17 is extremely low. When the balance becomes insufficient, power generation of the fuel cell 18 is started even outside this set time period. Even in such a case, as described above, whether power generation is possible is determined based on the current situation, and power generation is controlled based on the determination result.

   Next, the operation concept of the mobile phone device in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Here, each function described in these flowcharts is stored in the form of a readable program code, and operations according to the program code are sequentially executed. In addition, the operation according to the above-described program code transmitted via the transmission medium can be sequentially executed. In other words, in addition to the recording medium, an operation peculiar to this embodiment can be executed by using a program / data supplied externally via a transmission medium.

First, before describing the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 to 6, various setting operations related to power generation control of the fuel cell 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.
FIG. 7A shows a power generation setting menu screen, in which each item of “power generation confirmation setting”, “confirmation omission setting”, and “power generation time setting” is displayed in a list. Any menu item can be selected. This “power generation confirmation setting” item is a menu item for setting whether to display a confirmation message to the user before starting the power generation of the fuel cell 18. Is a menu item for setting whether or not to display a confirmation message for starting power generation of the fuel cell 18 when the apparatus main body is placed (connected) on the cradle stand 31. The item “set power generation time” is a menu item for setting an arbitrary time zone in which the fuel cell 18 can generate power.

In the upper part (pict area) of this menu screen, an icon indicating the received electric field strength and the current time (22:00:57) are displayed as shown, as well as the secondary battery 17, fuel Each icon indicating the remaining amount level measured for each battery 18 is identified and displayed.
FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a setting screen when the item “power generation confirmation setting” is selected and specified from the power generation setting menu screen. This power generation confirmation setting screen is a screen for setting whether or not to display a confirmation message for inquiring about the presence or absence of power generation prior to the start of power generation, and inquires in a “YES” or “NO” format. When the selection operation is performed, the CPU 1 sets it in the memory 4 as “power generation confirmation setting information”. FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a setting screen when the item of “omitting confirmation setting” is selected and specified from the power generation setting menu screen. This setting screen also inquires whether or not to display a confirmation message in the form of “YES” or “NO”. When the selection operation is performed, the CPU 1 sets it in the memory 4 as “confirmation omission setting information”. To do.

  FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a setting screen when the “power generation time setting” item is selected and specified from the power generation setting menu screen. This setting screen sets the power generation start time and power generation completion time in order to set an arbitrary time zone according to the user's lifestyle, etc. In the example shown in the figure, the time zone from evening to early morning the next day In this case, the time zone indicated by “start time: 16:00” and “completion time: 6:00” is set as a time zone in which power generation is possible. The time zone arbitrarily set by the user operation in this way is set in the memory 4 as “power generation time setting information”.

3 to 6 are flowcharts showing the overall operation of the mobile phone device that is started to be executed when the power is turned on.
First, in the standby state, the CPU 1 reads out a predetermined standby image and displays and outputs it (step A1). Then, the CPU 1 operates the remaining amount detection circuit 20 of the power supply control unit 16 to detect and measure the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 17 (step A2), and after detecting and measuring the remaining fuel level of the fuel cell 18 ( Step A3) Each icon indicating the remaining amount measured for each of the secondary battery 17 and the fuel cell 18 is identified and displayed in the picto area of the standby screen (Step A4).

  FIG. 9A shows a display example of each icon in the standby screen. In addition to the icon indicating the received electric field strength, the icon indicating the remaining fuel level of the fuel cell 18 and the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 17 are illustrated. An icon indicating the amount is displayed in an array. Then, the presence or absence of an incoming call or mail is checked (step A5). When an incoming call or incoming mail is detected, an incoming call handling process is executed, the notification unit 11 is driven to notify the incoming call, and the incoming call process or received mail is also executed. After executing the storage process (step A6), the process returns to the first step A1.

  If no incoming call is detected in step A5, the process proceeds to step A7, where it is checked whether or not the secondary battery 17 is being charged by the power generation of the fuel cell 18. Whether or not charging is in progress is determined by detecting the operating state of the charging circuit 19. If charging is in progress, the process proceeds to step A36 (power generation propriety determination process) in FIG. 5 described later. If not charging, it is determined whether the fuel cell 18 can generate power periodically (for example, every 5 seconds). Therefore, it is checked whether the determination timing has come (step A8). In this case, the power generation of the fuel cell 18 is performed on the condition that the remaining amount of the secondary battery is low. However, even if the remaining amount of the secondary battery is low, if the current situation is inappropriate for power generation, that is, When carrying a mobile phone, carrying a mobile phone, sending radio waves, or in a specific location, the power generation is prohibited / interrupted, so it was determined whether the current situation is suitable for power generation. In addition, the fuel cell 18 is caused to generate power.

  Here, if it is not the power generation availability determination timing (NO in step A8), the process proceeds to the power generation availability determination processing (step A19), but if it is the power generation availability determination timing, the remaining battery capacity of the secondary battery 17 is the total capacity. It is checked whether it has decreased to 1/3 or less (step A9). If the remaining amount of the secondary battery is sufficient (NO in step A9), the process proceeds to step A20, where the presence / absence of an input operation is checked, and an operation handling process corresponding to the input operation (for example, an outgoing call process, a mail creation process) Etc.), the process returns to the first step A1.

  If the secondary battery remaining amount is 1/3 or less, it is further checked whether it is 1/5 or less of the total capacity (insufficient remaining amount) (step A10), and if it is insufficient, a warning alarm is generated ( Step A11). The warning alarm is performed by an alarm sound, a message display, or the like, but when the alarm stop is operated, the warning alarm is not performed for a certain time (for example, one hour) thereafter. Then, the process proceeds to a power generation availability determination process described later (step A19). That is, even if “power generation time setting information” that restricts the time zone during which power generation is possible is set (even if it is outside the time zone), it is determined that urgent charging is necessary and power generation availability determination processing (step A19). However, if the remaining amount of the secondary battery is 1/3 or less and exceeds 1/5 (NO in step A10), the above-mentioned “power generation time setting information” is read (step A12). The presence or absence of setting is checked (step A13).

  If “power generation time setting information” is not set, the process proceeds to the power generation availability determination process (step A19). If “power generation time setting information” is set, the current time is acquired (step A14), and this current By comparing the time and “power generation time setting information”, it is checked whether the current time is within a set time zone in which power generation is possible (step A15). If the current time is out of the set time zone, it is determined that charging (power generation) is not possible, and the process proceeds to step A35 in FIG. 5 described later. The “required charging time” is obtained (step A16), and the “estimated charging completion time” is obtained by adding the “predicted charging time” to the current time (step A17).

  Then, by comparing the “setting completion time” set as “power generation time setting information” with the “predicted charging completion time” calculated as described above (step A18), the “predicted charging completion time” is It is determined whether the “setting completion time” is exceeded or the “setting completion time” is just before (step A18). If “YES” is determined in Step A18, it is determined that emergency charging is necessary, and the process proceeds to the power generation possibility determination process (Step A19), but if there is a margin before the “setting completion time” is exceeded. If it is determined that there is no need for emergency charging (for example, if it is more than one hour ago), the process proceeds to step A35 in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining in detail the power generation propriety determination process (step A19 in FIG. 3). This power generation propriety determination process determines whether or not the fuel cell 18 is in an inappropriate state for power generation before starting power generation. This is a process of making a determination based on this.
First, the CPU 1 performs an initialization process of “ON” a “power generation permission flag” that permits power generation of the fuel cell 18 (step B1), and then whether or not radio waves are being transmitted based on the operating state of the telephone communication unit 5 Is checked (step B2). Here, if radio waves are being transmitted by telephone call or e-mail transmission, etc., the power generation permission flag is set to “OFF” in step B10 in order to disable the power generation of the fuel cell 18.

  Similarly, the CPU 1 accesses the touch sensor 13 to acquire the detection signal (step B3), and checks based on this detection signal whether the mobile phone is held by the hand holding the device main body (step B4). ) If the mobile phone is being carried, the “power generation permission flag” is turned “OFF” (step B10). Further, the acceleration sensor 14 is accessed to obtain the detection signal (step B5), and based on this detection signal, it is checked whether or not the mobile device is moving (step B6). “Flag” is turned “OFF” (step B10).

  In this case, in steps B4 and B6 described above, if the detection signal from the touch sensor 13 or the acceleration sensor 14 is continuously at a high level from the previous power generation propriety determination timing to the current power generation propriety determination timing, If the high level state including the instantaneous low level continues as a whole, it is determined that the mobile phone is being carried or moved. That is, as described above, since the power generation propriety determination timing in step A7 is an interval of 5 seconds, the mobile phone is being carried or carried on the condition that the touch state or the moving state is generally continued for 5 to 10 seconds. Determine that it is moving.

  Further, the CPU 1 accesses the GPS unit 15 to acquire the current position (step B7), searches the map information in the storage unit 2 or the recording medium 3 based on the current position (step B8), and the current position is For example, it is checked whether it is a specific place such as in a hospital, in a car, or in an airport (step B9). If the user is in a specific place, the “power generation permission flag” is turned “OFF” (step B10). It should be noted that the “power generation permission flag” remains “ON” when the above-mentioned portable possession, portable movement, communication radio wave transmission is not performed, and the user is not in a specific location, and the fuel cell 18 generates power. to approve.

  When such a power generation propriety determination process (step A19 in FIG. 3) is completed, the process proceeds to step A21 in FIG. 4 and refers to the “power generation permission flag” that is “ON / OFF” by the power generation propriety determination process. Check whether it is set to “ON”. Here, if the “power generation permission flag” is “OFF”, it is determined that power generation is not possible. Therefore, the process proceeds to step A35 in FIG. 5 to be described later, but it is determined that power generation is possible and the “power generation permission flag” is set. If it is “ON”, it is checked whether or not the apparatus main body is placed (connected) on the cradle stand 31 (step A22). In this case, the check process is performed by acquiring a connection presence / absence signal from a connector portion (not shown) between the apparatus main body and the cradle stand 31.

  If it is not connected to the cradle stand 31, the process proceeds to step A 35 in FIG. 5 to be described later in order to generate power for the fuel cell 18. Is read (step A23), and the "ON / OFF" is checked (step A24). Here, if “Confirmation omission setting information” is “ON”, a power generation start message is displayed and output (step A25). If “OFF”, the power generation start message is not displayed and the confirmation is omitted. Then, in order to immediately generate power in the fuel cell 18, the process proceeds to step A31 in FIG.

  FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a power generation confirmation screen switched from the standby screen. The power generation confirmation screen includes an icon indicating the received electric field strength and an icon indicating the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel cell 18. Besides, an icon indicating the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 17 is displayed in an array, and a power generation start message for guiding that the secondary battery level is low is displayed and output. Then, whether or not to start power generation is inquired in the form of “YES” or “NO”, and if any item of “YES: start now” or “NO: reconfirm later” is selected and specified, The CPU 1 discriminates the selection item (step A26), and when “YES: start now” is selected, the process proceeds to step A31 in FIG. When “reconfirm later” is selected, the “power generation confirmation setting information” described above is read (step A27), and its “ON / OFF” is checked (step A28).

  The CPU 1 displays and outputs a power generation start message if the “power generation confirmation setting information” is “ON” (step A29), but if it is “OFF”, the power generation start message is not displayed and the confirmation is omitted. Then, the process proceeds to step A31 in FIG. Even in this case, the power generation confirmation screen shown in FIG. 9B is displayed and output. Here, if “YES: Start now” is selected (YES in Step A30), the process proceeds to Step A31 in FIG. 5, but if “NO: Reconfirm later” is selected. (NO in step A30), the process proceeds to step A25 in FIG.

  In the above step A31, in response to a power generation start command from the CPU 1, the methanol water in the fuel cartridge 18A is directly supplied to the fuel cell 18 and at the same time, air is supplied from the outside to cause a chemical reaction in the fuel cell. The CPU 1 operates the charging circuit 19 after generating the fuel cell 18 (step A32). As a result, a charging current is supplied to the secondary battery 17 based on the electromotive force generated by the fuel cell 18, and charging of the secondary battery 17 is started. At the same time, the CPU 1 switches the main drive source from the secondary battery 17 to the fuel cell 18 by giving a switching command to the battery switching circuit 21 (step A33).

In the state where the fuel cell 18 is generated in this way to charge the secondary battery 17 and the secondary battery 17 is switched from the secondary battery 17 as the main drive source to the fuel cell 18, the battery currently used as the main drive source is selected. For the sake of clarity, after the used battery is identified and displayed (step A34), the process returns to step A20 in FIG.
FIG. 10 illustrates a state in which the used battery is identified and displayed. An icon indicating the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel cell 18 and an icon indicating the remaining amount of battery in the secondary battery 17 illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 10, if the upper icon (level meter) is an icon indicating the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 17 and the lower icon is an icon indicating the remaining fuel level of the fuel cell 18, in FIG. By arranging and displaying a light bulb icon in the vicinity of the lower icon, it is clearly shown that the battery currently used as the main drive source is the fuel cell 18. In this case, the above-described light bulb icon may be arranged and displayed on the battery icon shown in FIG.

  In step A35 described above, it is determined whether or not the secondary battery 17 is being charged by power generation of the fuel cell 18, and if not charging (power generation), the process returns to step A20 in FIG. Although an operation corresponding process according to the input operation is performed, if charging (during power generation), the power generation availability determination process (step A36) is executed according to the above-described flowchart of FIG. In addition, it is determined whether or not the situation has changed to an inappropriate state for power generation based on whether or not the user is in a specific place while carrying the phone, carrying the phone, transmitting a communication radio wave, or the like. In this power generation permission / inhibition determination process, if the state changes to an inappropriate state for power generation during charging, the “power generation permission flag” is set to “OFF”. Since the “flag” remains “ON”, in the next step A37, the status change during charging is checked by checking “ON / OFF” of the “power generation permission flag”.

  If the “power generation permission flag” is still “ON”, the process returns to step A20 in FIG. 3 to continue charging (power generation), but if “OFF”, the CPU 1 outputs a power generation stop command. Then, the supply of methanol water and air to the fuel cell 18 is stopped (step A38). Then, the charging circuit 19 is turned “OFF” (step A39), a switching command is given to the battery switching circuit 21 to switch the main drive source from the fuel cell 18 to the secondary battery 17 (step A40), and the battery used Is identified and displayed (step A41). Also in this case, the used battery is identified and displayed by arranging and displaying the light bulb icon shown in FIG. 10 in the vicinity of the icon corresponding to the secondary battery 17. Then, it returns to step A20 of FIG.

  As described above, in addition to the telephone communication unit 5, the mobile phone device according to the first embodiment detects the touch sensor 13 that detects that the device main body is held in the hand, and that the device main body is moving. The acceleration sensor 14 and the GPS unit 15 for acquiring the current position are provided, and the fuel cell 18 is provided in addition to the secondary battery 17 as a main drive source. The CPU 1 is in an unsuitable state for power generation by the fuel cell 18. It is determined based on whether or not the user is in a specific place such as in the possession of the mobile phone, in the movement of the mobile phone, in the transmission of communication radio waves, in the hospital, or in the car, and the power generation of the fuel cell 18 is controlled based on the determination result. Therefore, the power generation of the fuel cell 18 can be controlled in consideration of the characteristics as a portable terminal used under various circumstances. That is, when the apparatus main body is placed on the desk and is stationary and stable, the power generation is started when the fuel cell 18 is in a state suitable for power generation, and the mobile phone is being carried, moved, and communication radio waves are being transmitted. When you are in a specific place such as in a hospital or in a car, you can ban power generation.

  As a result, stable power generation is possible, and even if heat generation, water vapor, or carbon dioxide is generated during power generation, it does not cause discomfort to the user or disturb the surroundings. In other words, the device itself may shake greatly or be used violently when it is being carried or moved, and when it is being moved (moving out), the surrounding environment (temperature, Humidity, etc.), and when radio waves are transmitted, there is a possibility that the power generation of the fuel cell may be affected by the rise in the terminal temperature. Although it is necessary, if the power generation of the fuel cell 18 is prohibited under such circumstances and the power generation is permitted when the situation becomes other than that, stable power generation is possible, and it occurs during power generation. The generated heat and water vapor do not cause discomfort to the user, and the generation of water vapor does not disturb the surroundings.

  Further, since the secondary battery 17 is charged with the electric power generated by the fuel cell 18, driving power can be stably supplied to the apparatus main body, and the number of external charging can be reduced. In addition, when the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 17 is low, the secondary battery 17 can be charged by generating power from the fuel cell 18 under certain conditions. In addition, since charging of the secondary battery 17 by the fuel cell 18 is controlled according to a user operation, the secondary battery 17 can be charged by generating power from the fuel cell 18 under the initiative of the user.

  Further, when the fuel cell 18 generates power, the CPU 1 displays and outputs a power generation start message inquiring whether or not power generation is necessary according to the content of the “power generation confirmation setting information”. Can be made. In this case, in the state where the apparatus main body is placed on the cradle stand 31, the display of the power generation start message is omitted according to the content of the “confirmation omission setting information”, so that the apparatus is stationary and stable. When there is no need to pay attention to power generation manners to the surroundings, the secondary battery 17 can be charged by generating power from the fuel cell 18 without making an inquiry to the user.

  Furthermore, since the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel cell 18 and the remaining amount of battery in the secondary battery 17 are detected and each remaining amount is identified and displayed, each remaining amount can be confirmed, fuel replenishment, A quick response to the charging of the secondary battery 17 is possible. Further, the CPU 1 determines whether the power supplied from the fuel cell 18 is used as a driving power source or the power supplied from the secondary battery 17 is used as a driving power source, and the determination result is identified and displayed by an icon. The battery currently used can be easily confirmed.

  In addition, when the fuel cell 18 is charging the secondary battery 17, the power generation (charging) is interrupted when the situation changes to a situation unsuitable for power generation, and then the situation suitable for the power generation is changed. Since the power generation (charging) is resumed, power generation (charging) control corresponding to the current situation can be performed even if the current situation changes rapidly.

  In addition, since any time zone can be set as a power generation time zone according to the user's lifestyle, for example, the time zone from every evening to the early morning of the following day can be set as a power generation time zone. The secondary battery 17 can be charged by generating power from the fuel cell 18 within a time period in which the user is unlikely to use the cellular phone device, such as at midnight.

  In the above-described embodiment, whether or not the fuel cell 18 is in an inappropriate state for power generation is determined as to whether or not it is in a specific place such as carrying a cell phone, carrying a cell phone, transmitting a communication radio wave, in a hospital, or in a car. In addition, since the communication radio wave is immediately transmitted when a call is received, it may be determined whether or not power generation is possible when a call is received. In the above-described embodiment, the GPS unit 15 for acquiring the current position is provided, and it is determined whether or not the user is in a specific place such as a hospital or a car. It may be determined whether or not the “radio wave prohibition mode” is set, and when the “manner mode” or the “radio wave prohibition mode” is set, the power generation of the fuel cell 18 may be prohibited.

  In the embodiment described above, it is determined whether or not the mobile phone is moving based on the detection signal from the acceleration sensor 14, but in addition to the acceleration sensor 14, an optical sensor for detecting ambient brightness is provided, and the mobile phone is moving. When the light sensor detects that the brightness is below a predetermined brightness (darkness), it is determined that the device body is being carried while being placed in a bag or pocket, and the touch sensor 13 and If it is determined based on the detection signal from the acceleration sensor 14 that the apparatus main body is being moved while being held in the hand, it can be more reliably determined whether the apparatus is being moved.

The fuel cell 18 is not limited to a direct methanol type battery, and may be a solid polymer type fuel cell as long as it is a small battery that can be incorporated.
In addition, in a state in which whether the power supplied from the fuel cell 18 is used as a driving power source or whether the power supplied from the secondary battery 17 is used as a driving power source, a battery to be used can be arbitrarily selected by a user operation. Also good. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the fuel cell 18 is used as the main drive source in the case where the secondary battery 17 is charged. However, the fuel cell 18 is generated by a user operation and used as the main drive source. However, at this time, the current situation may be determined as described above, and whether or not the situation is suitable for power generation may be guided by a message.

  When placed on a cradle stand 31 with a charging function that is connected to an AC power source by cable, it is possible to arbitrarily select whether to charge using the AC power source or the fuel cell 18 as described above. However, at that time, for example, charging using the fuel cell 18 may be selected as an emergency when all AC power outlets have been used or when there is a power failure. “Confirmation omission setting” indicates a case where the device is placed on the cradle, but may be a case where the device is connected to a data communication cable.

Although not particularly mentioned in the above-described embodiments, the icon display such as the remaining battery level may be displayed not only on the main display unit 7 but also on the sub display unit 10. Further, an icon indicating that the fuel cell 18 is generating power may be displayed, or an alarm sound or vibration may be warned when starting power generation.
When detecting the remaining battery level of the secondary battery 17, for example, 2/3 or more, less than 2/3 to 1/3 or more, and less than 1/3 is detected as the remaining level of the plurality of stages. In addition, it is also arbitrary how much the remaining battery level is reduced when power generation is started.

In each of the above-described embodiments, an arbitrary time zone is set as a time zone in which power generation is possible depending on the user's lifestyle. However, any power generation time can be set so as to be linked with the alarm timer function and the auto power on function. A band may be set.
In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to a mobile phone device is illustrated, but it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a mobile terminal such as an electronic wristwatch, a PDA, an electronic camera device, and a music player.

  On the other hand, a recording medium (for example, a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a RAM card, etc.) on which program codes for executing the above-described units are recorded may be provided to the computer. That is, a recording medium having a computer-readable program code, and a function of acquiring information related to the characteristics of the mobile terminal as a current situation, and controlling the power generation of the fuel cell based on the obtained current situation Provided is a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for realizing a function for determining whether a condition is satisfied and a function for controlling power generation of the fuel cell based on whether the condition is satisfied. You may do it.

The block diagram which showed the basic component of the mobile telephone apparatus to which a portable terminal device is applied. The figure which showed the exhaust port 22 for discharging | emitting the water vapor | steam and carbon dioxide which were provided in the one side part of the apparatus main body, and were generated by the electric power generation of the fuel cell 18. FIG. The flowchart which showed the whole operation | movement of the mobile telephone apparatus started execution with power activation. The flowchart following FIG. The flowchart following FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining in detail the power generation propriety determination process (step A19 in FIG. 3). (A) shows a menu screen for power generation setting, and (B) shows a setting screen when an item of “power generation confirmation setting” is selected and specified from this power generation setting menu screen. (A) shows a setting screen when the item “Obtain confirmation setting” is selected and specified from the power generation setting menu screen, and (B) shows a “power generation time setting” setting from the power generation setting menu screen. The figure which showed the setting screen at the time of selecting and specifying an item. (A) shows the example of a display of the various icons in a standby screen, (B) is the figure which showed the electric power generation confirmation screen switched and displayed from this standby screen. The figure which illustrated the state in which the use battery is identified and displayed.

Explanation of symbols

1 CPU
2 Storage unit 3 Recording medium 5 Telephone communication unit 7 Main display unit 10 Sub display unit 11 Notification unit 12 Key operation unit 13 Touch sensor 14 Acceleration sensor 15 GPS unit 16 Power supply control unit 17 Secondary battery 18 Fuel cell 19 Charging circuit 20 Remaining Quantity detection circuit 21 Battery switching circuit 22 Exhaust port 31 Cradle stand

Claims (14)

A portable terminal device with a built-in fuel cell capable of supplying power by power generation from a built-in fuel cell,
Acquisition means for acquiring information related to the characteristics of the mobile device as the current situation;
Discriminating means for discriminating whether or not a condition for controlling the power generation of the fuel cell is established based on the current situation obtained by the obtaining means;
Power generation control means for controlling power generation of the fuel cell based on whether or not a condition is established by the determination means;
A portable terminal device with a built-in fuel cell, comprising: The acquisition means acquires, as a current situation, whether the mobile phone is held in the hand, whether the mobile phone is moving, whether the communication radio wave is being transmitted, whether it is an incoming call,
Based on whether the current situation obtained by the acquisition means is at least one of the following conditions: To determine whether it is established,
2. The fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is configured as described above. The acquisition means acquires a current position as a current situation,
Based on whether or not the current position obtained by this acquisition means is a specific place, the determination means determines whether or not a condition is satisfied,
2. The fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is configured as described above. In addition to the fuel cell, a secondary battery charged with electric power generated by the fuel cell is provided.
2. The fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: Providing a remaining amount monitoring means for monitoring whether or not the remaining amount of the secondary battery is equal to or less than a predetermined amount;
When the remaining battery level is less than or equal to a predetermined amount by the monitoring unit, the determination unit determines whether the condition is satisfied,
5. A fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the portable terminal device has a built-in fuel cell. When the user operation instructs that the secondary battery should be charged with the electric power generated by the fuel cell, the determination unit determines whether or not a condition is satisfied.
5. A fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the portable terminal device has a built-in fuel cell. When charging the secondary battery with power generated by the fuel cell, output confirmation information for inquiring whether or not power generation is required.
5. A fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the portable terminal device has a built-in fuel cell. When the device body is connected to a specific device, the output of the confirmation information for inquiring whether the power generation is necessary is omitted.
8. A fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the portable terminal device has a built-in fuel cell. Providing a detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel cell and the remaining amount of battery in the secondary battery;
Each remaining amount detected by this detecting means is displayed for identification.
5. A fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the portable terminal device has a built-in fuel cell. It is determined whether the power supplied from the fuel cell is used as a drive power source for the apparatus body or the power supplied from the secondary battery is used as a drive power supply for the apparatus body, and identification display is performed based on the determination result.
5. A fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the portable terminal device has a built-in fuel cell. In the middle of charging the secondary battery with the electric power generated by the fuel cell, the power generation control means changes based on the determination result by the determination means to a situation unsuitable for power generation by the fuel cell. Suspends charging from the fuel cell to the secondary battery and resumes charging from the fuel cell to the secondary battery when the situation changes to a state suitable for power generation.
5. A fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the portable terminal device has a built-in fuel cell. The determination means determines whether or not a condition is satisfied within a predetermined time zone,
2. A fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the portable terminal device has a built-in fuel cell. The acquisition means acquires manner mode and radio wave prohibition mode designation information as the current situation,
Based on whether the manner mode obtained by the acquisition means or the radio wave prohibition mode is set to at least one of the modes, the determination means determines whether the condition is satisfied,
2. The fuel cell built-in portable terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is configured as described above. Against the computer,
The ability to get information related to the characteristics of mobile devices as the current situation,
A function for determining whether or not a condition for controlling power generation of the fuel cell is established based on the acquired current situation;
A function of controlling the power generation of the fuel cell based on whether or not this condition is satisfied;
A program to realize

Images