JP2007259141A - Portable telephone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable telephone being capable of changing a temperature in response to the necessity of a user without requiring the supplement of fuel or the like, consuming no battery more than required, and having the low risk of the occurrence of a dew condensation and a fire. <P>SOLUTION: The portable telephone has the chargeable battery being fitted to a body case and being capable of storing an electric energy by supplying a charging current from the outside, and a temperature changing means for changing the temperature of the specific site of at least the body case by consuming the electric energy stored in the charging type battery. The portable telephone further has a contact sensing means for sensing a contact by a human body of the specific site of the body case, and a temperature-change control means for controlling the temperature change of the temperature changing means when the contact sensing means senses the contact of the human body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a mobile phone.

Conventionally, disposable warmers, oil-filled warmers, and the like exist as tools for warming the body in situations where there is no heater such as going out. The disposable body warmer is made by putting iron powder, salt, water, etc. in a non-woven fabric or paper bag, and generates heat when the iron powder is oxidized by applying pressure from outside the bag. In the oil-filled warmer, a fuel such as benzine is oxidized and decomposed into carbon dioxide and water by a catalytic action such as platinum, and heat of reaction is generated in the process.

In addition, techniques for heating or cooling a part of the human body using electric power have been proposed. For example, there is a temperature control device that can change the temperature of a cooling or heating means that is in contact with the human body using the power of a battery power source to warm or cool a part of the human body (see Patent Document 1). . There is also a portable body temperature adjustment element that uses a fuel cell as a power source and can change the temperature of a heat generation surface or a cooling surface that is in contact with the human body to warm or cool a part of the human body (Patent Document). 2). Furthermore, a portable terminal that has a heat generating mechanism and is not cold even when operated with bare hands when the temperature is low has been proposed (see Patent Document 3).

JP-A-9-187473 JP 2001-238903 A JP 2004-180120 A

However, the above-described disposable body warmer has a problem that once heat generation is started, the heat generation cannot be interrupted. Further, the oil filling type warmer described above and the portable body temperature adjusting element described in Patent Document 2 have a problem that it takes time to replenish fuel.

In addition, when an unexpected sudden temperature change occurs when going out, or when a failure of a heating appliance occurs, the human body may need to be temporarily heated. The temperature adjusting device and the portable body temperature adjusting element described in Patent Document 2 are not always carried, but are generally carried only when there is a plan to use them. Therefore, there is a problem that there is a case where it is not available to the user and cannot be used when urgently needed. Furthermore, there is a problem that carrying these instruments increases the number of items owned by the user, which is inconvenient.

In addition, the portable terminal described in Patent Document 3 has a problem in that the battery is unnecessarily consumed if the portable terminal is left with the switch turned on. Further, if the cooling or heating is continued for a long time, there is a risk that condensation occurs on the mobile terminal or a fire occurs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the object thereof is not to replenish fuel or the like, the temperature can be changed according to the needs of the user, and the battery is more than necessary. The object is to provide a mobile phone that does not consume and has a low risk of condensation or fire.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following.
(1) A rechargeable battery provided in the main body casing and capable of accumulating electrical energy when a charging current is supplied from the outside;
A temperature changing means for consuming electric energy stored in the rechargeable battery and changing a temperature of at least a predetermined portion of the main body housing;
Contact sensing means for sensing that a specific part of the main body casing has been contacted by a human body;
A mobile phone comprising: a temperature change control means for controlling a temperature change of the temperature change means when the contact sensing means senses a human contact.

According to the invention of (1), by providing the mobile phone with a function of changing the temperature of a predetermined part of the main body casing, it is possible to warm or cool a part of the body whenever the user desires. Become. Moreover, since the person who owns a mobile telephone has the habit of charging the rechargeable battery of a mobile telephone regularly, there exists an advantage which is hard to think that the trouble of charge is troublesome. Further, since the electric energy of the rechargeable battery is used, it can be used without replenishing the fuel.
Furthermore, since the mobile phone is often worn by the user at all times, it is possible for the user to warm or cool a part of the body at any time without increasing the belongings again. In addition, it is unlikely that the user will not be able to use it temporarily, and it can be used at any time in an emergency.
In addition, the temperature changes when a human contact is detected. Therefore, if the switch is left on and the battery is left unnecessarily consumed, or if it is cooled or heated for a long time, condensation can occur on the mobile device. It is possible to reduce the possibility of occurrence of fire or fire.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the following.
(2) The mobile phone according to (1) above,
In accordance with the operation of the user, provided with set temperature input means for inputting an input signal related to temperature setting,
The temperature change control means controls the temperature change of the temperature change means based on the input signal input from the set temperature input means.

According to the invention of (2), the user can set the most comfortable temperature, and the temperature of the mobile phone can be brought close to that temperature. Thereby, it becomes possible for a user to maintain a more comfortable state.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the following.
(3) The mobile phone according to (1) or (2) above,
The temperature changing means is arranged at a position in contact with both the predetermined portion of the main body casing and the rechargeable battery.

According to the invention of (3), it is possible to change the temperature of the predetermined part of the main body housing and change the temperature of the rechargeable battery. Thereby, it becomes possible to reduce the possibility that the capacity of the rechargeable battery is reduced due to a decrease in temperature.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the following.
(4) The mobile phone according to any one of (1) to (3) above,
An internal temperature sensing means for measuring the temperature inside the housing;
An external temperature sensing means for measuring the temperature outside the housing,
The temperature change control means is configured to change the temperature change means when a difference between a temperature inside the casing measured by the internal temperature sensing means and a temperature outside the casing measured by the external temperature sensing means satisfies a certain condition. Is made to function.

According to the invention of (4), the temperature is changed when the temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the mobile phone satisfies a certain condition. This can reduce the possibility of unnecessary consumption of the battery due to excessive cooling and heat generation.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the following.
(5) The mobile phone according to any one of (1) to (4) above,
Comprising water droplet detection means for detecting the presence of water droplets in a predetermined region of the surface of the main body housing;
The temperature change control means does not function the temperature change means when the water drop detection means detects the presence of a water drop in the predetermined area.

According to the invention of (5), it is possible to stop the temperature change when condensation occurs due to the cooling of the mobile phone.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the following.
(6) The mobile phone according to any one of (1) to (5) above,
The temperature change control means does not change the temperature of the temperature change means during a call operation.

According to the invention of (6), it is possible to prevent an excessive burden from being applied to the microcomputer provided in the mobile phone by not simultaneously performing the telephone call operation and the temperature change of the temperature changing means. It becomes possible. Further, it is possible to prevent the battery consumption from rapidly increasing by preventing the temperature changing means from changing the temperature during a call with a large amount of battery consumption.

Furthermore, the present invention provides the following.
(7) The mobile phone according to any one of (1) to (6) above,
The temperature change control means changes the temperature of the temperature change means when an incoming call notification is made.

Many mobile phones can set a so-called manner mode in which an incoming call or the like is transmitted to a user by vibrating the body without generating a sound even when an incoming call or the like is received. However, there is a problem that it is not possible to maintain complete silence because the sound is also generated by vibrating the aircraft.
However, according to the invention of (7), when the mobile phone is set to a state where no sound is output (so-called manner mode), it is possible to notify the user of an incoming call or the like by changing the temperature of the temperature changing means. It becomes. Thereby, it becomes possible to convey the incoming call to the user more quietly than in the case of using the vibration of the airframe.

According to the present invention, it is possible to change the temperature according to the user's needs without requiring replenishment of fuel or the like, without consuming batteries more than necessary, and there is a risk of condensation or fire. A low mobile phone can be provided.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following, a mobile phone having a heating function using an electric heater will be described as a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a mobile phone according to the present invention.
The mobile phone 300 is a so-called foldable mobile phone, and in the drawing, the mobile phone 300 is shown in an opened state. The mobile phone 300 operates using electric energy released from the secondary battery 324 as a power source. The secondary battery 324 can store electric energy when a charging current is supplied from the outside, and corresponds to the rechargeable battery in the present invention. The secondary battery 324 can be taken out from the mobile phone 300 through the secondary battery inlet / outlet 336.

The mobile phone 300 is configured by arranging various devices inside and outside a housing 351. The housing 351 includes a synthetic resin resin case 340 and a heat conducting unit 341. The heat conducting part 341 is made of a high heat conducting resin having higher heat conductivity than the resin case 340. The resin case 340 has a recess (not shown) on the back surface 352 of the housing 351, and the heat conducting portion 341 is disposed so as to cover the upper surface of the recess. A secondary battery 324 is accommodated in a space formed between the concave portion and the heat conducting portion 341.

Specific examples of the various devices described above include a pressure-sensitive sensor 331 (not shown), an internal temperature sensor 332 (not shown), an external temperature sensor 333, a water droplet sensor 334, an electric heater 335, and the like. A pressure sensor 331 is disposed on the outer surface of the heat conducting unit 341. A water drop sensor 334 is disposed on the outer surface of the pressure sensor 331. In addition, an electric heater 335 is attached to the heat conducting unit 341 on the inner side of the housing 351.

When the electric heater 335 serving as the temperature changing means generates heat, the heat conducting portion 341 in contact with the electric heater 335 is heated. Since the heat conducting portion 341 is made of a high heat conducting resin having high heat conductivity, the temperature of a predetermined region where the heat conducting portion 341 on the back surface 352 of the mobile phone 300 is disposed rises. Thereby, the user holding the mobile phone 300 can warm his / her hand. Further, when the electric heater 335 generates heat, the secondary battery 324 in contact with the electric heater 335 is heated. Thereby, it becomes possible to reduce the possibility that the capacity of the rechargeable battery is reduced due to a decrease in temperature.

A pressure-sensitive sensor 331 as a contact sensing means generates a detection signal when pressure is applied to the surface. The electric heater 335 generates heat only when the pressure sensor 331 senses that it is receiving pressure from the outside. This is to reduce the possibility that the battery will be unnecessarily consumed, dew condensation or a fire will occur if left unintentionally.

In the present embodiment, the pressure-sensitive sensor 331 is disposed on the back surface 352, but the present invention is not limited to this. The position where the pressure-sensitive sensor 331 is disposed only needs to be disposed at a position where it can be detected that the mobile phone 300 is held by the user's hand. In addition, the predetermined position where the temperature change is performed in the present invention and the specific position where the contact by the human body is detected are not necessarily the same. That is, in the present embodiment, the pressure-sensitive sensor 331 is arranged at a position covering the heat conducting unit 341 and the electric heater 335, so that a predetermined position where the temperature change is performed and a specific position where the contact by the human body is detected. Although the positions are substantially the same, for example, a specific position for detecting contact by a human body may be located on the back surface of the mobile phone 300, and a predetermined position where the temperature change is performed may be located on the front surface of the mobile phone 300.

Moreover, in this embodiment, although the pressure sensitive sensor is used as the contact sensing means of this invention, this invention is not limited to this. The contact detection means in the present invention only needs to be able to detect that a human body has been touched, and may be, for example, a touch sensor that detects static electricity charged on the human body.

A water droplet sensor 334 as a water droplet detection means generates a detection signal when it detects the presence of a water droplet on the surface. The electric heater 335 generates heat only when the water droplet sensor 334 detects the presence of water droplets on the surface. This is to prevent the progress of condensation by not generating heat when condensation occurs due to a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the mobile phone 300. The internal structure and the like of the water drop sensor are well known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-274701, and the description thereof is omitted here.

The internal temperature sensor 332 measures the temperature near the secondary battery 324 inside the housing 351. The external temperature sensor 333 measures the temperature of the outside air. When the internal temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 332 is equal to or higher than a preset temperature set in advance by the user, the electric heater 335 does not generate heat. This is because the casing 351 maintains a temperature that is most comfortable for the user by the electric heater 335 alternately repeating the execution and stop of heat generation near the set temperature. Further, when the difference between the internal temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 332 and the external temperature measured by the external temperature sensor 333 is equal to or greater than a predetermined set value, the electric heater 335 does not generate heat. This is because, when it is determined that the internal temperature has sufficiently increased, there is no possibility that the capacity of the secondary battery 324 will decrease due to a decrease in temperature.

In the present embodiment, the mobile phone 300 is a so-called folding type in which the casing 351 can be folded at a hinge connection location (not shown), but the present invention is not limited to this. The cellular phone in the present invention may be, for example, a so-called non-folding type. Also in this case, the place where the electric heater 335 and the pressure sensor 331 are arranged is not particularly limited.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the mobile phone 300.
Note that the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 shows the back surface 352 of the mobile phone 300 shown in FIG. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. In addition to various devices described below, various devices are arranged inside the housing 351, but these are not described and will not be described.

A casing 351 of the mobile phone 300 is configured by a resin case 340 and a heat conducting unit 341. The resin case 340 has a recess 353 at the center of the back surface 352 of the mobile phone 300, and a heat conducting unit 341 is attached so as to cover the upper surface of the recess 353. Thereby, the housing | casing 351 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. An electric heater 335 is attached to the inside of the cellular phone 300 of the heat conducting unit 341. In addition, a pressure-sensitive sensor 331 is disposed outside the mobile phone 300 of the heat conducting unit 341. A water drop sensor 334 is disposed outside the cellular phone 300 of the pressure sensitive sensor 331.

A secondary battery 324 is accommodated between the resin case 340 and the electric heater 335. As described above, the secondary battery 324 can be taken out from the mobile phone 300.
An internal temperature sensor 332 is arranged at a location where the resin case 340 is in contact with the secondary battery 324. In addition, an external temperature sensor 333 is disposed at a position of the resin case 340 located on the outer surface of the mobile phone 300.

The pressure-sensitive sensor 331 as a contact sensing unit has a function of detecting pressure from the outside. This makes it possible to detect that the mobile phone 300 is touched by a human hand. The internal temperature sensor 332 as an internal temperature sensing means has a function of measuring the temperature of the secondary battery 324. An external temperature sensor 333 as an external temperature sensing unit has a function of measuring the temperature outside the mobile phone 300. A water drop sensor 334 as a water drop detection unit has a function of detecting that a water drop has contacted the surface of the mobile phone 300. The electric heater 335 serving as a temperature changing unit has a function of generating heat by receiving electricity from the secondary battery 324.

Since the electric heater 335 is disposed in contact with the secondary battery 324, the secondary battery 324 is heated by the electric heater 335 generating heat. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the capacity of the secondary battery 324 will decrease due to a decrease in temperature. Further, since the electric heater 335 is disposed in contact with the heat conducting unit 341, the heat conducting unit 341 is heated by the heat generated by the electric heater 335. Since the heat conducting portion 341 is made of a high heat conducting resin having high heat conductivity, the temperature of a predetermined region where the heat conducting portion 341 on the back surface 352 of the mobile phone 300 is disposed rises. Thereby, the user holding the mobile phone 300 can warm his / her hand.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the mobile phone 300.
The mobile phone 300 includes an operation unit 304, a liquid crystal panel 306, a radio unit 310, an audio circuit 312, a speaker 314, a microphone 316, a transmission / reception antenna 318, a nonvolatile memory 320, a microcomputer 322, a secondary battery 324, a pressure sensor 331, An internal temperature sensor 332, an external temperature sensor 333, a water drop sensor 334, and an electric heater 335 are provided.

The wireless unit 310 is controlled by the microcomputer 322 and transmits / receives to / from the base station using radio waves as a medium through the transmission / reception antenna 318. The audio circuit 312 outputs the reception signal output from the wireless unit 310 through the microcomputer 322 to the speaker 314 and outputs the audio signal output from the microphone 316 to the wireless unit 310 through the microcomputer 322 as a transmission signal.

The speaker 314 converts the reception signal output from the audio circuit 312 into reception audio and outputs it, and the microphone 316 converts the transmission audio emitted from the operator into an audio signal and outputs it to the audio circuit 312.

The non-volatile memory 320 stores various information such as an ON / OFF state of a heating mode and a set temperature described later in a non-volatile manner.
The secondary battery 324 supplies power to each circuit. The microcomputer 322 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and performs, for example, incoming / outgoing call processing, e-mail creation / transmission processing, Internet processing, and the like. Note that transmission / reception of electronic mail and transmission / reception of data via the Internet are performed by the microcomputer 322 via the wireless unit 310 and the transmission / reception antenna 318.

Further, the microcomputer 322 as temperature change control means receives input signals received from the operation unit 304 and various detection signals from the pressure-sensitive sensor 331, the internal temperature sensor 332, the external temperature sensor 333, and the water drop sensor 334. Based on the received information, control is performed to cause the electric heater 335 to generate heat. Further, the received information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 320. The relationship between the received detection signal and the execution of heat generation will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the heating function execution process for causing the electric heater 335 to generate heat. The heating function execution process is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing when the heating mode is set to ON. The heating mode is a setting state indicating whether or not the electric heater 335 generates heat when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and is set by an input signal from the operation unit 304 based on a user operation. Information indicating the setting state of the heating mode is stored in the nonvolatile memory 320.

First, the microcomputer 322 included in the mobile phone 300 determines whether or not the pressure-sensitive sensor 331 detects contact from the outside of the mobile phone 300 (step S102). If contact from the outside of the mobile phone 300 is detected (step S102: YES), the process proceeds to step S103. If contact from outside the mobile phone 300 is not detected (step S102: NO), the process proceeds to step S111.
With this process, when the cellular phone 300 is not touched by the user's hand, the heat generated by the electric heater 335 is stopped. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent consumption of the secondary battery 324 due to unnecessary heat generation of the electric heater 335. In addition, by continuing to generate heat for a long time, it is possible to reduce the possibility of dew condensation or a fire occurring on the mobile phone 300.

In step S <b> 103, the microcomputer 322 determines whether or not the water droplet sensor 334 has detected the presence of water droplets on the surface of the mobile phone 300. When it is detected that water droplets are present on the surface of the mobile phone 300 (step S103: YES), the process proceeds to step S111. If it is not detected that a water droplet has contacted the surface of the mobile phone 300 (step S103: NO), the process proceeds to step S104.
With this process, when condensation occurs on the mobile phone 300, the heat generated by the electric heater 335 can be stopped and the progress of condensation can be prevented.

In step S104, the microcomputer 322 compares the internal temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 332 with the external temperature measured by the external temperature sensor 333, and the temperature difference between the internal temperature and the external temperature is less than a preset set value. Judge whether there is. If the temperature difference between the internal temperature and the external temperature is less than the set value (step S104: YES), the process proceeds to step S105. If the temperature difference between the internal temperature and the external temperature is greater than or equal to the set value (step S104: NO), the process proceeds to step S111.
This process makes it possible to stop the heat generation of the electric heater 335 when it is determined that the temperature of the secondary battery 324 has risen sufficiently and there is no risk of capacity reduction due to low temperature. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent unnecessary consumption of the secondary battery 324 due to unnecessary heat generation of the electric heater 335.

In step S105, the microcomputer 322 determines whether or not the internal temperature measured by the internal temperature sensor 332 is lower than the set temperature. The set temperature is a temperature that can be arbitrarily determined by the user, and is set by an input signal from the operation unit 304 as a set temperature input means. Information on the set temperature is stored in the nonvolatile memory 320. If the internal temperature is lower than the set temperature (step S105: YES), the process proceeds to step S106. If the internal temperature is equal to or higher than the set temperature (step S105: NO), the process proceeds to step S111.
With this process, when the temperature inside the mobile phone 300 is equal to or higher than the set temperature, the heat generation of the electric heater 335 is stopped, and the temperature of the mobile phone 300 can be kept near the set temperature. As a result, the most comfortable temperature for the user can be maintained.

In step S106, the microcomputer 322 determines whether the electric heater 335 is currently generating heat. If the electric heater 335 is generating heat (step S106: YES), this subroutine is terminated. When the electric heater 335 is not generating heat (step S106: NO), the microcomputer 322 as the temperature change control unit causes the electric heater 335 as the temperature change unit to generate heat (step S107). After the process of step S107 is completed, this subroutine is terminated.

In step S111, the microcomputer 322 determines whether or not the electric heater 335 is currently generating heat. When the electric heater 335 is generating heat (step S111: YES), the microcomputer 322 stops the heat generation by the electric heater 335 as temperature changing means (step S112). When the electric heater 335 is generating heat (step S111: NO) and after the process of step S112 is completed, this subroutine is ended.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for the heating function when a call is started in the mobile phone 300. This process is executed when a call is started.
First, the microcomputer 322 determines whether or not the heating mode is set to ON (step S202). When the heating mode is set to ON (step S202: YES), the microcomputer 322 stops the execution of the heating function (step S204). When the heating mode is set to OFF (step S202: NO) and after finishing the process of step S204, this subroutine is finished.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for the heating function when the call is ended in the mobile phone 300. This process is executed when the call is finished.
First, the microcomputer 322 determines whether or not the heating mode is set to ON (step S212). When the heating mode is set to ON (step S212: YES), the microcomputer 322 executes the heating function execution process shown in FIG. 4 (step S213). When the heating mode is set to OFF (step S212: NO), this subroutine ends.

According to the subroutines of FIGS. 5 and 6, when a call is performed on the mobile phone 300, the heating function is not executed regardless of the heating mode setting state. As a result, the telephone call operation and the temperature change of the temperature changing means are not performed at the same time, and it is possible to prevent an excessive burden on the microcomputer 322 provided in the mobile phone 300. Further, it is possible to prevent the battery consumption of the secondary battery 324 from rapidly increasing by preventing the temperature changing means from changing the temperature during a call with a large amount of battery consumption.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the heating function when an incoming call occurs in the mobile phone 300. This is to notify the user of an incoming call by causing the mobile phone to generate heat in place of the sound reproduction or the vibration caused by the vibration of the device that is performed by the conventional mobile phone when an incoming call or e-mail occurs. Is. Of course, an incoming call notification by heat generation and a notification by sound or vibration may be used in combination. This process is set in advance so as to notify an incoming call due to heat generation, and is executed when an incoming call occurs.

First, the microcomputer 322 generates heat from the electric heater 335 (step S304). The heat generation executed at this time is performed regardless of the setting state of the heating mode and the execution status of the heating function at that time. In addition, regardless of the set temperature, the internal temperature at the time of incoming call, etc., heat is generated with the intensity set in advance for incoming call notification. After the process of step S304 is completed, the process proceeds to step S305.

In step S305, the microcomputer 322 determines whether an incoming call is being executed. If the incoming call is being executed (step S305: YES), the process returns to step S305. On the other hand, when the incoming call state is lost due to the start or disconnection of the call (step S305: NO), the microcomputer 322 terminates the heat generated by the electric heater 335 for notification of the incoming call (step S306). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the heating mode is set to ON (step S307). When the heating mode is set to ON (step S307: YES), the microcomputer 322 executes the heating function execution process shown in FIG. 4 (step S308). When the heating mode is OFF (step S307: NO) and after finishing the process of step S308, this subroutine is finished.

Through the processing of this subroutine, when the mobile phone 300 is set to a state where no sound is output (so-called manner mode), it is possible to notify the user of an incoming call or the like by changing the temperature of the temperature changing means. Thereby, it becomes possible to convey the incoming call to the user more quietly than in the case of using the vibration of the airframe.

As mentioned above, although embodiment which concerns on this invention was described, embodiment of this invention is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, the electric heater 335 generates heat as means for increasing the temperature of the housing 351, but the present invention is not limited to this. The means for raising the temperature of the surface of the mobile phone is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method using the Peltier effect. Since the Peltier effect is known from Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc., the description thereof is omitted here.

In the present embodiment, the mobile phone 300 has a heating function that raises the temperature of the housing 351 by causing the electric heater 335 to generate heat. However, in the present invention, the mobile phone 300 increases the temperature of the housing. It may have a cooling function for lowering. The means for lowering the temperature of the housing is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method using the Peltier effect described above.
Of course, the mobile phone may have only a cooling function without a heating function.

Although the present invention has been described as having a function of changing the temperature of a mobile phone, the present invention is not limited to a mobile phone, and other portable types such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a portable game machine. It can also be applied to electronic equipment.

It is a perspective view which shows typically an example of the mobile telephone which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of the mobile telephone shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the mobile telephone shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of a heating function execution process. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the process at the time of a telephone call start. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the process at the time of a telephone call end. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the process at the time of incoming call generation.

Explanation of symbols

300 Mobile phone 304 Operation unit 320 Non-volatile memory 322 Microcomputer 324 Secondary battery 331 Pressure sensor 332 Internal temperature sensor 333 External temperature sensor 334 Water drop sensor 335 Electric heater

Claims (7)

A rechargeable battery which is provided in the main body casing and can store electric energy by supplying a charging current from the outside;
Temperature changing means for consuming electrical energy stored in the rechargeable battery and changing the temperature of at least a predetermined portion of the main body housing;
Contact sensing means for sensing that a specific part of the main body casing has been contacted by a human body;
A mobile phone comprising: a temperature change control means for controlling a temperature change of the temperature change means when the contact sensing means senses a human contact. In accordance with the operation of the user, provided with set temperature input means for inputting an input signal related to temperature setting,
2. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the temperature change control unit controls a temperature change of the temperature change unit based on an input signal input from the set temperature input unit. 3. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the temperature changing unit is disposed at a position in contact with both the predetermined portion of the main body casing and the rechargeable battery. An internal temperature sensing means for measuring the temperature inside the housing;
An external temperature sensing means for measuring the temperature outside the housing,
The temperature change control means is configured to change the temperature change means when a difference between a temperature inside the casing measured by the internal temperature sensing means and a temperature outside the casing measured by the external temperature sensing means satisfies a certain condition. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the mobile phone is not allowed to function. Comprising water droplet detection means for detecting the presence of water droplets in a predetermined region of the surface of the main body housing;
The mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the temperature change control means does not cause the temperature change means to function when the water drop detection means detects the presence of a water drop in the predetermined area. . The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the temperature change control unit does not change the temperature of the temperature change unit during a call operation. The mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the temperature change control means changes the temperature of the temperature change means when an incoming call notification is made.

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