JP2008005031A - Electronic apparatus, consumed current control method, and consumed current control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly manage the power consumption of electronic devices so as to suppress heat generation from the electronic devices. <P>SOLUTION: A weighting memory 312 stores a layout weighting value denoting a degree of contribution of heat generation from each electronic device to a surface temperature rise of a mobile phone 1. The layout weighting value is established by taking into account the layout position of each electronic device. A control section 31 acquires the operating state and the consumed current of each electronic device at a prescribed time interval and respectively stores resulting data to an operating state buffer memory 313 and a power consumption buffer memory 314. When the data are stored, the control section 31 calculates a parameter as an indication of the surface temperature of the mobile phone 1 due to the heat generation of all the electronic devices. When the parameter is greater than a threshold value, the control section 31 regulates supplied power to the electronic devices according to the priority allocated to each electronic device to suppress the heat generation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device in which an electronic device is mounted, a consumption current control method, and a consumption current control program.

In recent years, electronic devices such as mobile phones have built in various functions in addition to conventional communication functions. For this reason, it is required to process various functions in parallel, and as a result, the current consumption tends to increase more than ever. From such a background, as in Patent Document 1, the current consumption is calculated by calculating the current consumption of the incoming call volume, the backlight of the liquid crystal display unit, the vibrator, etc. according to the setting contents, and obtaining and displaying the total current consumption. The technology to set is known.
JP 2003-304319 A (page 4, FIG. 2)

  By the way, recent electronic devices are becoming more multifunctional and sophisticated, and accordingly, the capacity of power supply batteries is increasing. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, although the situation of insufficient power consumption has decreased, conversely, it is easy to supply excess power, and the temperature rise of each device due to this excess power, and thus this temperature Safety issues are being raised due to the propagation of rising equipment surfaces.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, manages an electric current consumption in an electronic device appropriately, and suppresses heat generation from the electronic device, an electric current consumption control method, and an electric current consumption An object is to provide a control program.

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device according to claim 1 is:
An electronic device incorporating an electronic component,
Setting means for setting the degree of the increase in temperature caused by the operation of the electronic component to contribute to the increase in temperature of the electronic device based on the position where the electronic component is mounted on the electronic device;
Consumption current value acquisition means for acquiring a consumption current value when the electronic component is operated;
Determining means for determining whether or not the temperature of the electronic device rises by a predetermined value or more based on the consumption current value acquired by the consumption current value acquisition means and the degree set by the setting means;
When it is determined by the determination means that the temperature of the electronic device is increased by a predetermined value or more, control means for controlling the current consumption value of the electronic component;
It is characterized by providing.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1,
The consumption current value acquisition unit acquires the consumption current value from an operation state per unit time when the electronic component is operated.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2,
The electronic component is a component for supplying power to the electronic device from the outside,
The control means performs control to stop current consumption by the electronic component when the judgment means judges that the temperature of the electronic device rises by a predetermined value or more.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The electronic component is a lighting component;
The control unit controls the current consumption of the lighting component to be reduced when the determination unit determines that the temperature of the electronic device increases by a predetermined value or more.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A plurality of the electronic components are provided in the electronic device,
The setting means sets the degree to which the temperature increase caused by the operation contributes to the temperature increase of the electronic device based on the mounting positional relationship of the plurality of electronic components.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The determination means adds the degree set by the setting means to the current consumption value acquired by the current consumption value acquisition means, and regards this integrated value as heat generated by the power consumed by the electronic component. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the temperature of the electronic device increases by a predetermined value or more.

In order to achieve the above object, the current consumption control method according to claim 7 is:
A current consumption control method executed by an electronic device incorporating an electronic component,
A setting step for setting the degree of the temperature increase caused by the operation of the electronic component contributing to the temperature increase of the electronic device based on the position where the electronic component is mounted on the electronic device;
A current consumption value obtaining step for obtaining a current consumption value when the electronic component is operated; and
A determination step of determining whether or not the temperature of the electronic device rises by a predetermined value or more based on the consumption current value acquired in the consumption current value acquisition step and the degree set in the setting step;
If it is determined that the temperature of the electronic device is increased by a predetermined value or more in the determination step, a control step for controlling a current consumption value of the electronic component;
It is characterized by comprising.

In order to achieve the above object, a current consumption control program according to claim 8,
Setting means for setting the degree of the increase in the temperature accompanying the operation of the electronic component built in the computer to the increase in the temperature of the computer based on the position where the electronic component is mounted on the computer,
Current consumption value obtaining means for obtaining a current consumption value when the electronic component is operated;
Determining means for determining whether or not the temperature of the computer rises by a predetermined value or more based on the consumed current value acquired by the consumed current value acquiring means and the degree set by the setting means;
When the determining means determines that the temperature of the computer rises by a predetermined value or more, it functions as a control means for controlling the current consumption value of the electronic component.

  According to the present invention, the electronic device sets the degree to which the temperature rise accompanying the operation of the built-in electronic component contributes to the temperature rise of the electronic device based on the position where the electronic component is mounted, and the electronic device A current consumption value when the component is operated is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the temperature of the electronic device increases by a predetermined value or more based on the acquired current consumption value and the set degree. And if it judges that the temperature of the said electronic device rises more than predetermined value, since the consumption current value of the said electronic component will be controlled, it will manage the consumption current in an electronic device so that it may become appropriate, and heat generation from an electronic device Can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the mobile phone 1 is used as an electronic device. However, this is only an example, and an embodiment using another electronic device may be employed.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The display unit 21 processes the image data by the control unit 31 or an image arithmetic processor (not shown) provided in the display unit 21 and then records the processed image data in an output buffer (not shown) provided in the display unit 21. The image information recorded in the output buffer is converted into an image signal at a predetermined synchronization timing, and is output to an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) included in the display unit 21. Thereby, various image displays are possible.

  The camera module 22 includes a camera that can capture a moving image or a still image, and captures an image under the control of the control unit 31 when a predetermined shutter button or the like is pressed. Image data obtained by photographing is stored in a storage medium or the like attached to the external memory unit 38 under the control of the control unit 31.

  The camera light control IC 23 includes a light source for taking an image with the camera included in the camera module 22. The camera light control IC 23 turns on / off the camera light (light source) and adjusts the intensity of the light amount under the control of the control unit 31. .

  The LCD backlight control IC 24 turns on / off the LCD backlight 241 that is a light source for displaying image data on the LCD. Typically, a white LED is used as the LCD backlight 241.

  The RF (Radio Frequency) receiving unit 32 receives radio waves such as audio signals, video signals, and control signals transmitted from the radio base station using the connected antenna 40. The received signal is amplified by the power amplifier 33 for the first frequency band (for example, about 800 megahertz) or the power amplifier 34 for the second frequency band (for example, about 2 gigahertz). Further, the RF receiving unit 32 demodulates the amplified audio signal, video signal, control signal, and the like and inputs the demodulated signal to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 controls the mobile phone 1 based on the demodulated control signal. The demodulated audio signal is input to the audio codec 46, converted into audio by a D / A (Digital / Analog) converter (not shown) included in the audio codec 46, and the audio is output from the speaker 47. The demodulated video signal is input to the display unit 21, and the display unit 21 performs the above-described image processing and outputs an image to the LCD.

  The RF transmitter 35 modulates an audio signal input to the microphone 48 and converted by an A / D (Analog / Digital) converter (not shown) included in the audio codec 46, and the audio amplified by the power amplifiers 33 and 34. The signal is transmitted to the radio base station using the antenna 40 connected to the RF transmission unit 35. The RF transmission unit 35 converts image data obtained by photographing with a camera included in the camera module 22 by an A / D converter, modulates the image data, and amplifies the video signal amplified by the power amplifiers 33 and 34 by RF transmission. The data is transmitted to the radio base station using the antenna 40 connected to the unit 35.

  The RF receiving unit 32 and the RF transmitting unit 35 may have a plurality of wireless LAN (Local Area Network), infrared communication, etc., if the used frequency band is applicable to the RF receiving unit 32 and the RF transmitting unit 35. The communication method may be used.

  The power supply IC 36 manages a power supply for driving the mobile phone 1. The power supply IC 36 charges the rechargeable battery 41 with the rectified external power supply input to the charging circuit 410. Further, the power supply IC 36 supplies the power charged in the rechargeable battery 41 to each unit with a predetermined voltage value. Alternatively, the power supply IC 36 supplies the rectified external power supply input to the charging circuit 410 to each unit with a predetermined voltage value.

  The sound source IC 37 uses a D / A converter (not shown) to store predetermined audio data stored in a storage medium or the like connected to the external memory unit 38 for notifying the user of the operating state of the mobile phone 1. After the conversion, the sound is output to the speaker 42. The sound source IC 37 decodes and reproduces music data, audio data, and the like under the control of the control unit 31. The speaker 42 and the speaker 47 may be shared.

  The external memory unit 38 includes an interface for connecting to a removable recording medium (for example, a flash memory card) and inputting / outputting data. The control unit 31 can read arbitrary data stored in a storage medium connected to the external memory unit 38 or write arbitrary data to the storage medium.

  The tuner 39 receives and decodes a video signal, an audio signal, and the like of each channel of television broadcasting and radio broadcasting with an antenna 391. The decoded video signal is input to the display unit 21 and an image is displayed on the LCD. The decoded audio signal is input to the audio codec 46, and the audio is output from the speaker 47. For example, the tuner 39 may include an antenna that receives a radio signal, or may directly receive a video signal, an audio signal, or the like using a cable. The antenna 40 and the antenna 391 may be shared.

  The key input unit 43 receives an operation signal from an input key (not shown) and outputs a key code signal corresponding to the operation signal to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 determines the operation content based on the key code signal. For example, the input key includes a power key for inputting an instruction to switch power on / off, and the user presses the power key for a predetermined time to switch the power of the mobile phone 1 on / off. The operation signal may be input using another input device.

  The key backlight control IC 44 turns on / off a key backlight LED (Light Emitting Diode) 45 provided for each input key. For example, when any of the input keys is pressed by the user, the control unit 31 turns on the key backlight LED 45 so that the user can easily operate even in a dark place. If no operation is performed with the input key for a predetermined time, the control unit 31 turns off the key backlight LED 45 in order to reduce power consumption.

  The audio codec 46 receives audio input from the user of the mobile phone 1 via the microphone 48, converts it by an A / D converter, encodes it, and inputs the audio data to the control unit 31. The voice codec 46 converts voice data for notifying the user of the operation state of the mobile phone 1 and call voice data received by the RF receiver 32 by a D / A converter and decodes the voice. Output to 47.

  The control unit 31 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, and the like, and reads an operating system (OS) and a control program stored in the ROM into the RAM. And control the entire mobile phone 1. Details of processing executed by the control unit 31 will be described later. The control unit 31 transmits a control signal and data to each of the above-described units, or receives a response signal and data from each unit, as necessary for control. The control unit 31 includes a timer 311 that measures the current date and time of the wireless communication terminal 1. The control unit 31 stores various data used when performing a power supply control process described later, a weighting memory 312, an operation state buffer memory 313, a power consumption buffer memory 314, a current consumption reference value table 315, a case correction coefficient. A memory 316 and a priority table 317 are provided. Each memory and the tables 312 to 317 are constituted by a RAM, a flash memory, or the like.

  The weighting memory 312 considers the position (layout) at which the electronic component built in the mobile phone 1 is arranged, and the degree of contribution to the surface temperature rise of the mobile phone 1 for each electronic component (hereinafter referred to as “layout weight value”). Is called and stored.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration example of data stored in the weighting memory 312. In this figure, the layout weight value of each electronic component is stored with the reference value of the layout weight value being 100. The layout weight value is a value set in advance in consideration of the layout of the electronic component. The control unit 31 may set the value input by the user using the input key in the weighting memory 312. An electronic component having a larger layout weight value has a larger contribution to the surface temperature rise of the mobile phone 1. Note that this diagram is an example, and an embodiment in which the method of classification of electronic components, the type of electronic components to be stored, the size of layout weight values, and the like can be arbitrarily changed can be adopted. It goes without saying that examples are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of electronic components built in the mobile phone 1. The mobile phone 1 according to this embodiment has a shape in which a lid portion on which an LCD is mounted and a main body portion on which an input key is mounted can be folded by rotating around a hinge portion.

FIG. 3A shows an example of the layout of the lid circuit board 2 built in the lid portion. The lid circuit board 2 includes a display unit 21 (LCD), a camera module 22, a camera light control IC 23 (camera light), an LCD backlight control IC 24, and the like as electronic components that mainly cause heat generation. In addition, an LCD backlight 241 is disposed on the back side of the LCD.
FIG. 3B is an example of the layout of the main body circuit board 3 incorporated in the main body portion. The main body circuit board 3 includes, as electronic components that cause main heat generation, a control unit 31, an RF reception unit 32, power amplifiers 33 and 34, an RF transmission unit 35, a sound source IC 37, an external memory unit 38, a tuner 39, There is a key backlight control IC 44 and the like. A key backlight LED 45 is connected to the key backlight control IC 44. The key backlight LED 45 is disposed on the main body circuit board 3 via the magnesium case.

  Generally, the greater the power consumption of an electronic component, the greater the amount of heat generated by the electronic component. For example, in the case of the layout as shown in this figure, the surface temperature of the portion where the input key is arranged is likely to rise due to heat generated by the electronic components as exemplified in this figure. In particular, in the present embodiment, the control unit 31, the RF receiving unit 32, the power amplifiers 33 and 34, and the RF transmitting unit 35 are arranged close to each other, and the temperature rises locally around these electronic components. May occur. On the other hand, in the vicinity of the camera light control IC 23, there are relatively few electronic components that are the main cause of heat generation. Thus, since the contribution to the surface temperature rise of the mobile phone 1 differs depending on the position where the electronic component is arranged, an appropriate layout weight value is set for each electronic component. Although it is desirable that the electronic components that cause major heat generation be designed in advance so as not to be close to each other, there is a limit in circuit design. According to the present invention, considering the difference in contribution to the surface temperature rise due to the position where the electronic component is arranged, by setting the priority for each electronic component and adjusting the power supply, The power consumption can be controlled to suppress the surface temperature rise.

  The operation state buffer memory 313 buffers and stores temporal changes in the operation state of each electronic component built in the mobile phone 1. The control unit 31 acquires the operation (on) / non-operation (off) or operation level of each electronic component at a predetermined cycle and stores the operation level in the operation state buffer memory 313. The operation level is a value that represents the degree of power consumption of an electronic component that cannot be classified into two types of operating state and non-operating state, such as a light emission luminance value of a camera light.

  FIG. 4 is a configuration example of data stored in the operation state buffer memory 313. For example, as the determination value of the operation state per unit time, the control unit 31 determines 1 if the electronic component indicated in the “device name” is operating, and 0 if it is not operating (stopped). Store. For example, the light intensity (or luminance value) level of the camera light controlled by the camera light control IC 23 has three levels: no light emission = 0, weak light emission = 1, and strong light emission = 2. The control unit 31 acquires the light emission intensity level of the camera light from the camera light control IC 23 and stores the operation state determination value. Similarly, the control unit 31 acquires the level of light emission intensity of the key backlight LED 45 from the key backlight control IC 44 and stores the determination value of the operation state. In the power amplifiers 33 and 34, the power transmitted according to the electric field strength, such as a weak electric field and a strong electric field, is set in six stages. In FIG. 4, 0 is non-operating and consumed in stages 1 to 5. Low current to high current consumption are set.

  The control unit 31 stores the determination value of the operation state of each electronic component in the operation state buffer memory 313 at a predetermined cycle (every 5.12 seconds in this embodiment). The operation state buffer memory 313 stores this determination value by buffering it a predetermined number of times. In the present embodiment, the operation state buffer memory 313 can store an operation state determination value for about 15 minutes. 5. When a determination value is stored every 12 seconds, 175 determination values are stored. When the upper limit (175 times in the present embodiment) of the number of times that can be buffered is reached, the control unit 31 clears all of the operation state buffer memory 313 and stores a new determination value.

  This embodiment is merely an example, and an embodiment in which the operation level setting method, the time interval for storing the operation state determination value, and the like are arbitrarily changed may be employed. For example, when the upper limit of the number of times that buffering can be performed is exceeded, the control unit 31 may clear the column stored at the past time and overwrite the new determination value on this column. That is, the control unit 31 may be configured to use the storage area of the operation state buffer memory 313 cyclically.

  The power consumption buffer memory 314 buffers and stores a time change of a value (hereinafter referred to as “consumption current parameter”) obtained for each electronic component for the degree of contribution to the surface temperature increase of the mobile phone 1. The control unit 31 includes a layout weight value Wi for each electronic component stored in the weight memory 312, a determination value Di for the operation state for each electronic component stored in the operation state buffer memory 313, and a consumption for each electronic component. Based on the current value Pi, the consumption current parameter Ci of each electronic component is obtained.

  For example, in the electronic component i in which the operation state determination value stored in the operation state buffer memory 313 is represented by 1 (operation) or 0 (non-operation), the control unit 31 uses the following expression (1). Thus, the current consumption parameter Ci (t) at time t is obtained.

Ci (t) = Pi (t) × Wi × Di (t) (1)
However,
Ci (t): Current consumption parameter of electronic component i at time t Pi (t): Current consumption value of electronic component i at time t Di (t): Judgment value of operating state of electronic component i at time t Wi: Electronic Layout weight value of part i

  In the electronic component i in which the determination value of the operation state is represented by a predetermined operation level, such as the camera light or the key backlight LED 45, the control unit 31 uses the following equation (2) to A power consumption parameter Ci (t) is obtained.

Ci (t) = Pi (t) × Wi × Li (t) (2)
However,
Li (t): operation level coefficient of electronic component i represented by 0 or more and 1 or less

  The operation level coefficient Li is, for example, that the operation level is expressed in three stages of no light emission = 0, weak light emission = 1, and strong light emission = 2, and no light emission Li = 0, weak light emission Li = 0.5, strong. The light emission Li = 1 is set in advance. The number of operation level steps and the operation level coefficient can be arbitrarily changed.

  Here, the control unit 31 acquires the current consumption value Pi (t) of the electronic component i from the current consumption reference value table 315. FIG. 5 is a configuration example of data stored in the current consumption reference value table 315. As shown in the figure, the consumption current reference value table 315 stores the operation state of each electronic component and the reference value of consumption current per unit time in the operation state in association with each other. The control unit 31 acquires a reference value corresponding to the electronic component i and sets it as the current consumption value Pi (t). Note that the control unit 31 further includes a measuring device that acquires a current value consumed by each electronic component or a current value supplied to each electronic component, and the control unit 31 uses the current value measured by the measuring device as a consumed current value of the electronic component i. Pi (t) may be used.

  FIG. 6 is a configuration example of data stored in the power consumption buffer memory 314. The control unit 31 uses the formula (1) or the formula (2) to calculate the current consumption parameter of each electronic component at a predetermined cycle (in this embodiment, every 5.12 seconds), and the power consumption buffer memory 314. Store the calculation result in.

  The control unit 31 sums the current consumption parameters of all the electronic components to be measured at time t from the current consumption parameter Ci (t) at time t for each electronic component stored in the power consumption buffer memory 314 by buffering. Ask for.

C (t) = C1 (t) + C2 (t) +... + Ck (t)
= ΣCi (t) (3)
Where k is the number of electronic components to be measured, and i is an integer from 1 to k.

  And the control part 31 calculates | requires the average consumption current parameter C from the sum of the power consumption parameter of all the electronic components, and the frequency | count N of buffering (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. In this embodiment, it is set to 175.). .

C = Ave (C (1), C (2),..., C (N)) (4)
However, the operator Ave () represents an average value.

  The average current consumption parameter C calculated in this way can be used as a value that objectively represents an increase in the surface temperature of the mobile phone 1 in consideration of the layout of each electronic component. That is, if the relationship Ca <Cb is established between the average current consumption parameter Ca obtained at a certain time Ta and the average current consumption parameter Cb obtained at the next time Tb, it is determined that the surface temperature has increased. can do. Further, when the relationship Ca> Cb is established, it can be determined that the surface temperature is decreasing. As described above, if the average consumption current parameter C is used, it is easily estimated whether the surface temperature tends to increase or decrease without further providing a temperature sensor and directly obtaining the temperature increase value ΔT. be able to.

  Further, the control unit 31 uses the average consumption current parameter C and the case correction coefficient E to obtain an average consumption current parameter CC that has been corrected according to the characteristics and characteristics of the case of the mobile phone 1.

Case-corrected average current consumption parameter CC
= Average current consumption parameter C × Housing correction coefficient E (5)

  Here, the case correction coefficient E is stored in the case correction coefficient memory 316, and is determined by the material of the case (case of the mobile phone 1), the distance between each circuit board and the case surface, and the like. Based on this, the value is preset for each case. By storing such a case correction coefficient, even if the mobile phone 1 has a different case material or distance between each circuit board and the case surface, the surface temperature tends to increase (or decrease) easily. Can be guessed. For example, when the present invention is applied to the mobile phone 1 having the same configuration of each circuit board and using a different casing, it is only necessary to change the casing correction coefficient.

  FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between the total electric power based on the case-corrected average consumption current parameter CC obtained by Expression (5) and the surface temperature of the case of the mobile phone 1. As shown in the figure, the surface temperature tends to increase as the total electric power increases. This relationship is expressed by a monotonically increasing function f. By obtaining this function f in advance, the control unit 31 can obtain the surface temperature f (CC) using the function f and the average consumption current parameter CC. In addition, although the function f is shown linearly in this figure, it is not restricted to this.

  In the present embodiment, the average value as described above is obtained, but other calculation methods may be used. For example, as a modification, weighting may be performed such that the closer the current time is, the greater the influence of the current consumption parameter C (t) at that time. In this case, instead of using Equation (4), the average current consumption parameter C is expressed as Equation (6) using a weighting factor g (t) using a weighting function g that monotonously decreases with time. Can be sought.

C = Ave (C (1) × g (1) + C (2) × g (2) +... +
C (N) × g (N)) (6)
Any function can be used as the weighting function g.

  As described above, the control unit 31 has a tendency to increase (or decrease) the surface temperature of the mobile phone 1 in consideration of the layout of each electronic component without performing a complicated calculation and having no temperature sensor. Can be easily obtained. Further, based on the obtained rising (or decreasing) tendency of the surface temperature and the priority determined in advance for each electronic component, control for suppressing power consumption so that the surface temperature does not exceed a predetermined threshold ( Hereinafter, it is referred to as “power consumption control processing”).

  Here, the priority is a value relatively indicating how much power is preferentially supplied to each electronic component built in the mobile phone 1.

  FIG. 8 is a configuration example of a priority table 317 in which priority is set for each electronic component. In this figure, priorities can be set in 256 levels from 0 to 255, with 255 being the highest priority. As the priority is higher, power can be supplied preferentially than other electronic components. For example, when the average current consumption parameter C obtained as described above that can estimate the surface temperature of the mobile phone 1 exceeds a predetermined first threshold value, the control unit 31 sets the electronic device whose priority is set low. It is possible to control so as to reduce the amount of heat generated by the cellular phone 1 while suppressing the power supplied to the components. Further, as a result of suppressing the power supplied to a certain electronic component, when the average consumption current parameter C obtained as described above becomes smaller than the predetermined second threshold value, the control unit 31 suppresses the power supplied. It is possible to control so that the power supplied to the electronic component is restored. Further, the priority table 317 in this figure is an example, and an embodiment in which the method of setting the priority is arbitrarily changed can be adopted.

(Supply power control process)
Next, the supply power control process performed by the control unit 31 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10. The control unit 31 starts this processing periodically (for example, by interruption every 1 millisecond) at a predetermined timing. In order to make the present invention easier to understand, in this embodiment, a key backlight 45 is employed as an electronic component (device) that adjusts the power supply. Based on the current consumption parameter C, the control unit 31 adjusts the luminance value of the key backlight 45 in three steps (no light emission, weak light emission, and strong light emission). Further, the control unit 31 controls whether or not the rechargeable battery 41 is charged by the charging circuit 410 based on the current consumption parameter C. There are two operation modes of the cellular phone 1: (A) the key backlight 45 is turned off and the external power supply is connected, and the charging mode is not further charged, and (B) the other normal mode. is there. It is assumed that the normal mode is set immediately after the mobile phone 1 is turned on. The control unit 31 sets the operation mode as appropriate. Thereby, it can control so that the raise of the surface temperature of the housing | casing of the mobile telephone 1 does not become large. Note that this embodiment is merely an example, and it is possible to adopt a modification in which the power supplied to other devices is adjusted or combined so that the power supplied to a plurality of devices is adjusted separately. Needless to say, these modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention. This will be described in detail below.

  First, the control unit 31 determines whether or not a predetermined cycle time has elapsed (FIG. 9, step S1). In the present embodiment, 5.12 seconds are employed as the predetermined cycle time. The control unit 31 measures the current date and time with the timer 311, and temporarily stores the measured date and time in the RAM in the control unit 31. The control unit 31 updates the date and time temporarily stored in the RAM every time the date and time is counted. In addition, the control unit 31 measures the elapsed time since the operation state buffer memory 313 and the power consumption buffer memory 314 were updated by performing this supply power control process last time. The control unit 31 determines based on whether or not this elapsed time has reached a predetermined cycle time (5.12 seconds).

  If the predetermined cycle time has not elapsed (step S1; NO), the control unit 31 ends the supply power control process.

  When the predetermined cycle time has elapsed (step S1; YES), the control unit 31 acquires the current consumption current value Pi (Ta) of each device (step S2). Here, Ta is the current date and time.

  The control unit 31 acquires the operation state of each device (step S3). That is, the control unit 31 obtains the determination value Di (Ta) or the operation level value Li (Ta) of the operation state of each device.

  The control unit 31 uses the acquired current consumption value Pi (Ta), the operation state determination value Di (Ta), and the layout weight value Wi of each device to calculate each device from the equation (1) or the equation (2). A current consumption parameter Ci (Ta) of the device is obtained (step S4).

  The control unit 31 stores the current consumption parameter of each device in the power consumption buffer memory 314 and the operation state determination value of each device in the operation state buffer memory 313 (step S5).

  When the predetermined number of times of data is not accumulated in the power consumption buffer memory 314 and the operation state buffer memory 313 (step S6; NO), the control unit 31 ends the supply power control process. For example, in this embodiment, if the operation state determination value and the consumption current parameter acquired every 5.12 seconds are not stored for 175 times, the supply power control process is terminated.

  When the predetermined number of times of data is accumulated in the power consumption buffer memory 314 and the operation state buffer memory 313 (step S6; YES), the control unit 31 calculates the average current consumption parameter from the equation (4) or the equation (6). C is obtained (step S7).

  And the control part 31 calculates | requires the average consumption current parameter C by which housing | casing correction | amendment was carried out from Formula (5) (step S8). The case-corrected average consumption current parameter C obtained here is a measure of the surface temperature of the case of the mobile phone 1. The control unit 31 clears the power consumption buffer memory 314 and the operation state buffer memory 313 after obtaining the case-corrected average current consumption parameter C.

  Next, the control unit 31 determines whether or not the currently set operation mode is the restriction mode (FIG. 10, step S9). The control unit 31 stores a flag indicating the current operation mode in the work area of the RAM, and sets this flag to 0 when the normal mode is set and 1 when the limit mode is set. The control unit 31 determines the operation mode based on the flag value. It is assumed that the flag value is set to 0 (normal mode) immediately after the cellular phone 1 is turned on.

  When the limit mode is not set (step S9; NO), the control unit 31 determines whether or not the value of the average current consumption parameter C obtained in step S8 is larger than a predetermined threshold value (step S10). . This corresponds to determining whether the surface temperature of the casing of the mobile phone 1 is higher than a predetermined threshold value.

  When it is not larger than the predetermined threshold value (step S10; NO), the control unit 31 ends the supply power control process. That is, in this case, the power supplied to each device is maintained as it is.

  When larger than the predetermined threshold (step S10; YES), the control unit 31 determines whether or not the rechargeable battery 41 is being charged by the charging circuit 410 (step S11).

  If charging is in progress (step S11; YES), the control unit 31 changes the operation mode to the limit mode, controls the power supply IC 36 to stop the charging, and switches the key backlight control IC 44 to the key backlight 45. The brightness of the key backlight 45 is lowered by one level by controlling the current value to be halved (step S12). Thereby, as a standard, the heat generation from the entire mobile phone 1 can be reduced by about 3 to 4 degrees.

  If not charging (step S11; NO), the control unit 31 changes the operation mode to the limit mode and controls the key backlight control IC 44 to reduce the current value to the key backlight 45 by half. The brightness of the key backlight 45 is lowered by one level (step S13). Thereby, as a standard, the heat generation from the entire mobile phone 1 can be reduced by about 0.5 degrees.

  On the other hand, when the restriction mode is set in step S9 (step S9; YES), the control unit 31 determines whether or not the value of the average consumption current parameter C obtained in step S8 is larger than a predetermined threshold value. It discriminate | determines (step S14).

  If not greater than the predetermined threshold (step S14; NO), the control unit 31 determines whether or not the power supply circuit 410 is connected to an external power supply (step S15).

  When connected to an external power supply (step S15; YES), the control unit 31 changes the operation mode to the normal mode, controls the power supply IC 36 to start charging, and performs key back to the key backlight control IC 44. The brightness of the key backlight 45 is increased by one level by controlling the current value to the light 45 to be halved (step S16). That is, as a result of setting the operation mode to the limit mode and suppressing the power consumption, the current consumption parameter C obtained in step S8 becomes equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value, and thus charging is resumed.

  When not connected to the external power supply (step S15; NO), the control unit 31 changes the operation mode to the normal mode so that the current value to the key backlight 45 is reduced by half with respect to the key backlight control IC 44. The brightness of the key backlight 45 is increased by one step (step S17).

  When larger than the predetermined threshold (step S14; YES), the control unit 31 outputs a warning message, warning sound, or the like indicating that there is a large amount of heat generated from the entire mobile phone 1 and notifies the user (step S18). In this case, although the power consumption is suppressed by setting the operation mode of the mobile phone 1 to the limit mode, the current consumption parameter exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

  In this manner, the control unit 31 obtains the current consumption parameter C and switches the operation mode as appropriate, thereby adjusting the power supplied to each device so that the surface temperature of the casing of the mobile phone 1 does not increase significantly. be able to. In this embodiment, the case where the key backlight 43 and the key backlight control IC 44 are controlled as devices for adjusting the power to be supplied will be described. Although priority is not used, the power supplied to a plurality of devices is adjusted. In this case, the supply power may be adjusted based on the set priority. For example, priorities are determined in the descending order of priority, such as LCD backlight 241> key backlight 45, and if the restricted mode is being set, the brightness of key backlight 45 is gradually reduced. The light emission may be switched, (b) the key backlight 45 may be turned off, (c) the LCD backlight 241 may be set to weak light emission.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible. Further, only a part of the principle of the above-described embodiment may be used, or different embodiments may be adopted by arbitrarily combining them.

  For example, the first threshold value of the current consumption parameter when the operation mode is changed from the normal mode to the limit mode, and the second threshold value of the current consumption parameter when the operation mode is changed from the limit mode to the normal mode May be set separately. That is, hysteresis (hysteresis) can be provided in order to avoid frequent switching of the operation mode due to chattering or the like.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the relationship between the operation mode switching timing and the power consumption of the entire mobile phone 1 by the supply power control process of the present embodiment. When the mobile phone 1 is turned on and started to use, the surface temperature of the housing gradually increases. That is, the magnitude of the consumption current parameter obtained in step S8 gradually increases. When the current consumption parameter becomes larger than a predetermined first threshold value at a certain time T1, the control unit 31 changes the operation mode from the normal mode to the limit mode and adjusts the power supplied to each electronic component to suppress the power consumption. . Then, as a result of suppressing the power to be supplied, the current consumption parameter starts to decrease at a certain time T2. That is, the surface temperature decreases. When the current consumption parameter becomes smaller than the predetermined second threshold value at a certain time T3, the control unit 31 returns the operation mode from the limit mode to the normal mode. Then, as a result of returning the power to be supplied, the current consumption parameter starts to increase again at a certain time T4. That is, the surface temperature increases. By repeatedly performing such control, hysteresis can be provided in the change in the surface temperature of the casing as a result.

  In the present embodiment, the surface temperature of the casing of the mobile phone 1 is handled, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the temperature of any other place may be monitored and adjusted.

  In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that a program for performing the above-described processing is stored in advance in the ROM. However, a program for operating the cellular phone 1 as the whole or a part of the apparatus or executing the above-described processing is stored in a memory card, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). It may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as MO (Magneto Optical disk) and distributed, installed in another computer, operated as the above-mentioned means, or the above-mentioned steps may be executed. Further, although described as using a mobile phone, it can also be applied to other communication terminals such as PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) and PHS (Personal Handyphone System).

  Furthermore, the program may be stored in a disk device or the like included in a server device on the Internet, and may be downloaded onto a computer by being superimposed on a carrier wave, for example.

  As described above, according to the present invention, current consumption in an electronic device can be managed appropriately, and heat generation from the electronic device can be suppressed.

It is a figure which shows the structure of a mobile telephone. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the data memorize | stored in weighting memory. It is a figure which shows the example of the layout of the electronic component incorporated in a mobile telephone. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the data memorize | stored in the operation state buffer memory. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the data memorize | stored in a consumption current reference value table. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the data memorize | stored in a power consumption buffer memory. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the relationship between the electric power sum total corrected by the housing | casing, and surface temperature. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the data memorize | stored in a priority table. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the power supply control process which a control part performs. It is a flowchart (continuation) for demonstrating the power supply control process which a control part performs. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the time change of the consumption current parameter or the surface temperature of a housing | casing obtained by performing the supply power control process of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Mobile phone, 2 ... Cover part circuit board, 3 ... Main part part circuit board, 21 ... Display part, 22 ... Camera module, 23 ... Camera light control IC, 24. ..LCD backlight control IC, 31 ... control unit, 32 ... RF receiver, 33 ... power amplifier, 34 ... power amplifier, 35 ... RF receiver, 36 ... power source IC, 37 ... Sound source IC, 38 ... External memory unit, 39 ... Tuner, 391 ... Antenna, 40 ... Antenna, 41 ... Rechargeable battery, 42 ... Speaker, 43 ... ..Key input unit, 44 ... Key backlight control IC, 45 ... Key backlight LED, 46 ... Audio codec, 47 ... Speaker, 48 ... Microphone, 241 ... LCD back Light, 311 -Timer, 312 ... Weighting memory, 313 ... Operation state buffer memory, 314 ... Power consumption buffer memory, 315 ... Power consumption reference value table, 316 ... Case correction coefficient memory, 317 ... Priority table, 410 ... Charging circuit

Claims (8)

An electronic device incorporating an electronic component,
Setting means for setting the degree of the increase in temperature caused by the operation of the electronic component to contribute to the increase in temperature of the electronic device based on the position where the electronic component is mounted on the electronic device;
Consumption current value acquisition means for acquiring a consumption current value when the electronic component is operated;
Determining means for determining whether or not the temperature of the electronic device rises by a predetermined value or more based on the consumption current value acquired by the consumption current value acquisition means and the degree set by the setting means;
When it is determined by the determination means that the temperature of the electronic device is increased by a predetermined value or more, control means for controlling the current consumption value of the electronic component;
An electronic device comprising: The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the consumption current value acquisition unit acquires the consumption current value from an operation state per unit time when the electronic component is operated. The electronic component is a component for supplying power to the electronic device from the outside,
3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control to stop current consumption by the electronic component when the determination unit determines that the temperature of the electronic device is increased by a predetermined value or more. 4. machine. The electronic component is a lighting component;
3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the current consumption of the lighting component to be reduced when the determination unit determines that the temperature of the electronic device increases by a predetermined value or more. 4. machine. A plurality of the electronic components are provided in the electronic device,
5. The setting unit according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the degree to which the temperature increase caused by the operation contributes to the temperature increase of the electronic device based on the mounting positional relationship of the plurality of electronic components. The electronic device of Claim 1.   The determination means adds the degree set by the setting means to the current consumption value acquired by the current consumption value acquisition means, and regards this integrated value as heat generated by the power consumed by the electronic component. 6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the temperature of the electronic device rises by a predetermined value or more. A current consumption control method executed by an electronic device incorporating an electronic component,
A setting step for setting the degree of the temperature increase caused by the operation of the electronic component contributing to the temperature increase of the electronic device based on the position where the electronic component is mounted on the electronic device;
A current consumption value obtaining step for obtaining a current consumption value when the electronic component is operated; and
A determination step of determining whether or not the temperature of the electronic device rises by a predetermined value or more based on the consumption current value acquired in the consumption current value acquisition step and the degree set in the setting step;
If it is determined that the temperature of the electronic device is increased by a predetermined value or more in the determination step, a control step for controlling a current consumption value of the electronic component;
A method of controlling current consumption, comprising: Computer
Setting means for setting the degree of the increase in the temperature accompanying the operation of the electronic component built in the computer to the increase in the temperature of the computer based on the position where the electronic component is mounted on the computer,
Current consumption value obtaining means for obtaining a current consumption value when the electronic component is operated;
Determining means for determining whether or not the temperature of the computer rises by a predetermined value or more based on the consumed current value acquired by the consumed current value acquiring means and the degree set by the setting means;
When the determining means determines that the temperature of the computer rises by a predetermined value or more, it functions as a control means for controlling the current consumption value of the electronic component.

Images