JP2008118429A - Portable terminal, low voltage notifying method and low voltage notification program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable terminal capable of notifying the drop of battery voltage so as to perform a proper operation, such as data storage, a low voltage notifying means in the portable terminal and a low voltage notification program. <P>SOLUTION: A time for performing a proper operation such as data storage is considered to store a low voltage reference voltage value to be reference for determining normal low voltage notification and an operable voltage value larger than the low voltage reference voltage value in a memory, a low voltage determining means of a control part compares the voltage value of a battery with the operable voltage value, notification to urge an operation to a function in use is performed when the voltage value of the battery drops to the operable voltage value or below, and thereafter, normal low voltage notification is performed when a predetermined time elapses or when the voltage value of the battery drops to the low voltage reference voltage value or below. Thus, a proper operation such as data storage can be performed to the function in use because a user's operation can be performed during a fixed time after the first notification. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, a control method, and a control program, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal having a function of notifying a decrease in battery voltage, a low-voltage notification method in the mobile terminal, and a low-voltage notification program operating on the mobile terminal.

  Since mobile terminals such as mobile phones are used outdoors, they are usually driven by a rechargeable battery. In such a portable terminal, a low voltage detection circuit for monitoring the battery voltage is provided in the portable terminal in order to prevent a malfunction due to sudden battery exhaustion, and when the battery voltage drops, a display unit display or an alarm from a peaker Therefore, the user is notified of the battery voltage drop.

  Various proposals have been made regarding control of the battery voltage drop. For example, in Patent Document 1 below, when a battery voltage drops below a first threshold value and a low voltage alarm signal is generated, a sounder sounds. Every time the notification operation with sound and display is repeated, the battery voltage is detected again, and compared with the second threshold value which is smaller than the first threshold value, and when it becomes below the second threshold value A technique is disclosed in which a notification operation is prohibited to reduce a sudden drop in battery voltage.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-172741

  Here, if the battery becomes low voltage during a call, the call can be maintained for a certain time after the low voltage notification so that the call will not be interrupted. When the voltage becomes low during the operation, the operation becomes impossible regardless of the operation state, which causes the following problems.

  For example, in recent years, an increasing number of portable terminals can play high-functional games with an application described in JAVA (registered trademark), but if the battery becomes low voltage while the JAVA (registered trademark) application is activated, Since the operation becomes impossible at the same time as the notification, the progress of the game cannot be saved, and the game must be played again from the beginning after the battery is charged.

  Also, if the battery becomes low voltage while creating an e-mail, or if the battery becomes low voltage while browsing a web page using the browser function, it becomes impossible to operate simultaneously with the low voltage notification. Therefore, the contents of the e-mail being created and the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the web page cannot be saved, and the e-mail must be re-created after the battery is charged, or the corresponding web page must be searched. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main object is a portable terminal capable of notifying a decrease in battery voltage so that an appropriate operation such as data storage can be performed, and the portable terminal. A low voltage notification method and a low voltage notification program are provided.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a portable terminal including at least a battery serving as a power source, a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of the battery, a display unit, a sound generation unit, a storage unit, and a control unit. The storage unit stores a first voltage value at which the portable terminal becomes inoperable and a second voltage value larger than the first voltage value, and the control unit includes the voltage detection unit. The detected voltage value of the battery is compared with the second voltage value stored in the storage unit, and when the voltage value of the battery is equal to or lower than the second voltage value, the display unit or / and A first notification for prompting an operation on a function in use is performed using the sound generation unit, and a second voltage is notified after the first notification using the display unit and / or the sound generation unit. Low voltage notification means for performing notification is provided.

  In the present invention, the low voltage notification means may be configured to perform the first notification using an area other than the display area occupied by the function in use of the display unit.

  In the present invention, the low voltage notification means may perform a control for prohibiting or restricting an operation on a function other than the function in use after the first notification.

  In the present invention, the function in use is preferably a function capable of storing data.

  The present invention is also a low voltage notification method in a portable terminal driven by a battery, wherein the portable terminal is disabled from being operated with a first voltage value and a second voltage value greater than the first voltage value. A second step of detecting the voltage value of the battery, a third step of comparing the voltage value of the battery and the second voltage value, and the voltage of the battery A fourth step of performing a first notification for prompting an operation on a function in use using the display unit and / or the sound generation unit when the value is equal to or less than the second voltage value; and the first notification And a fifth step of performing a second notification for notifying the voltage drop of the battery using the display unit and / or the sound generation unit.

  Further, the present invention is a program that functions in a portable terminal driven by a battery, wherein the computer is configured to output a second voltage that is greater than the voltage value of the battery and the first voltage value at which the portable terminal becomes inoperable. When the voltage value of the battery is equal to or lower than the second voltage value, a first notification that prompts an operation for the function in use is performed using the display unit and / or the sound generation unit, and the first After the notification of 1, the display unit and / or the sound generation unit is used to function as a low voltage notification unit that performs a second notification that notifies the voltage drop of the battery.

  As described above, in the present invention, the first voltage value that becomes inoperable and the second voltage value that is larger than the first voltage value are stored, and the battery voltage value and the second voltage value are stored. Since the first notification can be performed in consideration of the time required for the user operation, an appropriate operation such as data storage can be performed after the first notification, It is possible to prevent problems such as data being erased due to battery exhaustion.

  According to the portable terminal, the low-voltage notification method, and the low-voltage notification program of the present invention, it is possible to perform an appropriate operation before the battery voltage decreases and becomes inoperable.

  The reason is that a voltage value larger than the low voltage reference voltage value (that is, the voltage value at which operation is disabled) that is a standard for determining a normal low voltage notification is defined as the operable voltage value, and the battery voltage value is This is because when the voltage becomes lower than the possible voltage value, a notification for prompting an operation for the function in use is given. And by notifying the user that the voltage will be lower than before, appropriate operations such as saving data and making time to avoid turning off the power supply such as connecting to a charger are made. It is possible to prevent problems such as data being erased due to sudden battery exhaustion.

  As shown in the prior art, in a portable terminal such as a cellular phone driven by a battery, a low voltage detection circuit is provided, and when the battery voltage decreases, a process of notifying the low voltage by a display unit or a speaker is performed. However, if the battery becomes low voltage while the JAVA (registered trademark) application is being started, an e-mail is being created, or a web page is being viewed, the operation becomes impossible simultaneously with the low voltage notification. There was a problem that the operation could not be performed and the data could not be protected.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in consideration of the time for performing an appropriate operation such as data storage, a low voltage reference voltage value that is a standard for determining a normal low voltage notification and an operation that is larger than the low voltage reference voltage value. Memorize the possible voltage value, compare the voltage value of the battery with the operable voltage value, and if the voltage value of the battery drops below the operable voltage value, notify the user of the function being used, and then , Perform normal low voltage notification. As a result, since the user can operate for a certain period of time after the initial notification, an appropriate operation such as data storage can be performed on the function being used. Hereinafter, specific description will be given with reference to the drawings.

  In order to describe the above-described embodiment of the present invention in more detail, a portable terminal, a low-voltage notification method, and a low-voltage notification program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile terminal of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of low voltage notification using the mobile terminal of this embodiment. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows the structural example of the screen displayed on the display part of the portable terminal of a present Example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the portable terminal of this embodiment includes a wireless communication unit such as an antenna 1 and a wireless unit 2, a control unit 3, a storage unit such as a memory 5, a key operation unit 6, and an audio codec unit. 7 and a speaker 8, a display unit 9, a clock unit 10, an A / D converter 11, and a battery 12.

  The antenna 1 and the radio unit 2 are means for realizing a call using a mobile terminal, sending and receiving e-mails, and the radio unit 2 converts a signal received by the antenna 1 into a signal frequency to be received. The received data is output to the control unit 3 after being amplified and demodulated.

  The control unit 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that operates by program control. The control unit 3 functions as a means for executing various applications (for example, a JAVA (registered trademark) application, an e-mail creation application, a web browsing application, etc.) of the portable terminal and also functions as a low voltage notification means 4. The low voltage notification means 4 includes a voltage value of the battery 12 detected by an A / D converter 11 described later and a voltage value stored in advance in the memory 5 so that the operation becomes impossible or difficult (hereinafter referred to as a low voltage reference voltage value). When the voltage of the battery 12 is equal to or lower than the operable voltage value, the display unit displays a voltage value that is greater than the voltage value (that is, the operable voltage value, hereinafter referred to as the operable voltage value). 9 and the audio codec unit 7 to notify the user to perform an operation for the function being used. After that, when a predetermined period has elapsed or the voltage of the battery 12 becomes lower than the low voltage reference voltage value, Perform low voltage notification. The low voltage notification unit 4 may be configured as hardware in the control unit 3 or may be configured as a low voltage notification program that causes the computer to function as the low voltage notification unit 4 and control the low voltage notification program. It is good also as a structure operated on the part 3. FIG.

  The memory 5 is composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and applications and user data for operating the portable terminal, the low voltage reference voltage value, the operable voltage value, and the power supply forcibly. Stores the voltage value for turning off the.

  The key operation unit 6 is an input circuit that receives inputs from various keys including numeric keys, direction keys, special keys, and the like, and performs various operations for realizing various functions provided in advance in the mobile terminal.

  The voice codec unit 7 is a circuit that amplifies a voice signal, a ringing tone signal, an alarm signal, and the like received using the antenna 1 and the radio unit 2, and the speaker 8 receives the amplified signal output from the voice codec unit 7. It is a device that outputs as voice or sound. In this embodiment, a notification for prompting the user to perform an operation on a function being used or a normal low voltage notification is performed.

  The display unit 9 is composed of a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display device, and the like, displays various information of the portable terminal, and functions in use at predetermined positions outside the screen during execution of various functions. Notifications for prompting operations and normal low voltage notifications are performed.

  The clock unit 10 is a circuit having a clock function, notifies the control unit 3 of the current time, and counts down a predetermined time.

  The A / D converter 11 is a means for measuring the voltage of the battery 12. In this embodiment, the A / D converter 11 is taken as an example, but any means capable of measuring the voltage of the battery 12 can be used.

  The battery 12 is a rechargeable battery such as a Li ion secondary battery, and supplies power to each part of the mobile terminal to function.

  The operable voltage value can be appropriately set in consideration of the power consumption of the function operating on the mobile terminal, the time required for the operation of the function, the characteristics of the battery 12, and the like. May be set by the user, or may be input by operating the key operation unit 6 by the user. FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of the portable terminal of this embodiment, and other means for realizing other functions such as a digital camera function, a TV phone function, a TV broadcast receiving function, and a contactless ID card function. May be provided.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2, the low voltage notification procedure of the present embodiment will be described in detail.

  First, in step S101, the user uses a function provided in the portable terminal by operating a predetermined application (here, JAVA (registered trademark) application) on the portable terminal.

  Next, in step S102, the low voltage notification means 4 periodically acquires the voltage of the battery 12 detected by the A / D converter 11, calculates the remaining capacity from the voltage value of the battery 12, and displays it on the display unit 9. At the same time, the voltage value of the battery 12 acquired from the A / D converter 11 is compared with the operable voltage value stored in advance in the memory 5. Note that this voltage value determination may be performed for an arbitrary function, or for a specific function such as a function that can store data, a function that consumes a large amount of power, or a function that performs many operations at the end. This specific function may be arbitrarily set by the user, or may be determined by the control unit 3. Further, different operable voltage values may be set according to each function. In that case, the low voltage notification means 4 identifies the function in use and specifies the operable voltage value corresponding to the function. The identified operable voltage value may be compared with the voltage value of the battery 12.

  When the current voltage value of the battery 12 becomes equal to or lower than the operable voltage value (Yes in step S102), in step S103, the control unit 3 controls the display unit 9 and the audio codec unit 7 to control the mobile terminal. The user is notified of an operation for the function being used (for example, an operation for prompting to save data, an operation for terminating the function, etc.). Specifically, the display necessary for the operation of the JAVA (registered trademark) application is not affected, and as shown in FIG. 3A, the icon area 9b outside the display area 9a is blinked, or a specific display is performed. Notification is performed using the display unit 9 by blinking an icon, changing the color of a specific icon, or displaying a character prompting an operation as shown in FIG. In addition, notification is performed using the speaker 8 by sounding a specific alarm sound or a sound for prompting an operation. The notification method is not particularly limited, and the brightness of the display unit 9 (in the case of a liquid crystal display device, the brightness of the backlight) may be changed, or the mobile terminal may be vibrated in a specific pattern. These may be combined arbitrarily.

  Next, in step S104, the control unit 3 controls the clock unit 10 to start a timer. In addition, the key operation unit 6 is controlled to restrict or prohibit operations on functions other than the function currently in use, such as a transition operation to another application. Although control for restricting or prohibiting operations on functions other than the function in use is not necessarily required, a voltage drop of the battery 12 can be suppressed by suppressing unnecessary operations.

  Next, in step S105, the user operates the key operation unit 6 to perform an operation for normally terminating the function currently used (in this case, JAVA (registered trademark) application). For example, if a game is being executed by a JAVA (registered trademark) application, and the game can be stored in the middle of the game, and can be executed from the next time, an instruction to save data is given.

  Next, in step S106, the control unit 3 monitors the timer of the clock unit 10, and when a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) is reached (or the current voltage value of the battery 12 is the low voltage reference voltage value). If it becomes the following), in step S107, it shifts to the low voltage notification similar to the conventional one. The low voltage notification method is not particularly limited. For example, the icon area 9b outside the display area 9a occupied by the application in use is blinked, or a specific icon is displayed, as in the case of notification for prompting an operation on a function in use. The low voltage notification is performed using the display unit 9 by blinking, changing the color of a specific icon, displaying a character indicating low voltage, or the like. In addition, a low voltage notification is performed using the speaker 8 by, for example, sounding a specific alarm sound or a sound notifying low voltage. In addition, although the notification of step S103 and the notification of step S107 may be the same, the user can appropriately grasp the current situation by notifying in a different form.

  As described above, the control unit 3 is provided with the low voltage notification unit 4, and the low voltage notification unit 4 allows the current voltage value of the battery 12, the low voltage reference voltage value and the operable voltage value stored in the memory 5 in advance. When the voltage value of the battery 12 is equal to or lower than the operable voltage value, a notification for prompting an operation for the function in use is displayed on the display unit 9 or sounded from the speaker 8. In addition, the user can be informed that the voltage of the battery 12 has dropped. As a result, the user can perform an appropriate operation such as data storage for the function in use, and can prevent problems such as erasure of important data. Further, since the grace period until the power is turned off due to the low voltage becomes longer than before, a time margin for preventing the power from being turned off by using the charger can be created.

  In the above description, the operation of the JAVA (registered trademark) application is targeted. However, in the case of a portable terminal having an electronic mail function, if the present invention is executed for the mail creation application, the mail document being edited is saved. Therefore, the creation of the mail document can be continued after the battery 12 is charged without discarding the work document due to the voltage drop of the battery 12. In the case of a mobile terminal having a browser function, the URL of a web page currently being browsed can be bookmarked, so that the web page can be easily browsed after the battery 12 is charged.

  In the above, the case where the present invention is applied to a mobile phone has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and any portable device driven by a battery, for example, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants). It can be similarly applied to a notebook personal computer, a game machine, and the like.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for any portable device that drives a battery, a low voltage notification method and a low voltage notification program in the portable device.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the portable terminal which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the procedure of the low voltage notification using the portable terminal which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the screen displayed on the display part of the portable terminal which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Antenna 2 Radio | wireless part 3 Control part 4 Low voltage notification means 5 Memory 6 Key operation part 7 Voice codec part 8 Speaker 9 Display part 9a Display area 9b Icon area 10 Clock part 11 A / D converter 12 Battery

Claims (12)

In a portable terminal including at least a battery serving as a power source, a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of the battery, a display unit, a sound generation unit, a storage unit, and a control unit,
In the storage unit, a first voltage value at which the portable terminal becomes inoperable and a second voltage value larger than the first voltage value are stored,
The control unit compares the voltage value of the battery detected by the voltage detection unit with the second voltage value stored in the storage unit, and the voltage value of the battery is equal to or less than the second voltage value. The display unit or / and the sound generation unit is used to perform a first notification for urging the user to operate the function in use. After the first notification, the display unit or / and the sound generation unit is used. A portable terminal comprising low voltage notification means for performing a second notification for notifying the battery voltage drop.   The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the low-voltage notification unit performs the first notification using an area other than a display area occupied by the function in use of the display unit.   3. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the low-voltage notification unit performs control for prohibiting or limiting an operation for a function other than the function in use after the first notification.   The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the function in use is a function capable of storing data. A low voltage notification method in a portable terminal driven by a battery,
A first step of storing a first voltage value at which the portable terminal becomes inoperable and a second voltage value greater than the first voltage value;
A second step of detecting a voltage value of the battery;
A third step of comparing the voltage value of the battery with the second voltage value;
A fourth step of performing a first notification for prompting an operation on a function in use using the display unit and / or the sound generation unit when the voltage value of the battery is equal to or lower than the second voltage value;
After the first notification, the low voltage notification method includes at least a fifth step of performing a second notification that notifies the battery voltage drop using the display unit and / or the sound generation unit. .   6. The low-voltage notification method according to claim 5, wherein, in the fourth step, the first notification is performed using an area other than a display area occupied by the function in use of the display unit.   The low-voltage notification method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein after the fourth step, an operation for a function other than the function in use is prohibited or restricted.   The low voltage notification method according to claim 5, wherein the function in use is a function capable of storing data. A program that functions on a portable terminal driven by a battery,
Computer
When the voltage value of the battery is compared with a second voltage value that is larger than the first voltage value at which the portable terminal becomes inoperable, and the voltage value of the battery is equal to or lower than the second voltage value, Using the display unit and / or the sound generation unit to make a first notification that prompts an operation for the function being used;
A low-voltage notification program that functions as a low-voltage notification unit that performs a second notification that notifies the battery voltage drop using the display unit and / or the sound generation unit after the first notification.   10. The low-voltage notification program according to claim 9, wherein the low-voltage notification unit performs the first notification using an area other than a display area occupied by the function in use of the display unit.   The low-voltage notification program according to claim 9 or 10, wherein after the first notification, the low-voltage notification unit performs control for prohibiting or limiting an operation for a function other than the function in use.   12. The low-voltage notification program according to claim 9, wherein the function in use is a function capable of storing data.

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