JP2010109531A - Mobile electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile electronic apparatus for controlling power supply corresponding to the battery residual amount of a secondary battery and a power generation state in a power generation means. <P>SOLUTION: When the battery residual amount of the secondary battery becomes a prescribed value or less, the power supply from the secondary battery to various electronic components disposed in a casing is interrupted. Then even when the battery residual amount is the prescribed value or less, a power saving mode is selected, and when a power generation quantity by the power generation means is a prescribed power generation quantity or more, the interruption of the power supply from the secondary battery to the various electronic components is suppressed. Thus, power is supplied according to the battery residual amount and the power generation state, and the convenience of the mobile electronic apparatus is improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone or PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) to which power is supplied from a power generation means.

  Since mobile terminal devices such as mobile phones and PDAs are generally assumed to be carried outside, it is desired to use a built-in secondary battery (battery) for a long time. However, since there is a limit to the increase in battery capacity, in this type of terminal device, it is expected to develop a charging technique that does not require an external power source as well as reducing the power consumption inside the device.

  Conventionally, as a portable terminal device to respond to this, a photovoltaic panel (solar panel) is attached to the outer surface of the housing, and an internal battery can be charged through the photovoltaic panel in an environment where sufficient light such as sunlight can be secured. What has been devised has been devised (see Patent Document 1).

In addition, a technique is known in which when the remaining battery level of the secondary battery becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the power is turned off and the power supply from the secondary battery is cut off.
JP 2004-140521 A

  However, this conventional portable electronic device unconditionally turns off the power even when a power generation operation such as a photovoltaic panel is performed above a certain level when the remaining battery level of the secondary battery becomes a predetermined value or less. Therefore, even if it is desired to use a function that can be operated with a power generation amount above a certain level, it cannot be used, and the user of the portable electronic device is inconvenient.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a portable electronic device capable of suitably controlling the functional operation according to the remaining battery level of the secondary battery and the amount of power generated by the power generation means.

  The present invention includes a housing, a secondary battery disposed in the housing and supplying power to various electronic components, a remaining amount detecting means for detecting a remaining battery level of the secondary battery, and at least a first Mode selection means for selecting one mode from a plurality of modes including a second mode that consumes less power to the secondary battery than the first mode, and the mode selection means. Power control means for controlling power supply from the secondary battery according to a predetermined mode, and power generation means for supplying power generated by the power generation operation to the secondary battery, the power control means, When the remaining battery level of the secondary battery detected by the remaining battery level detection means is below a predetermined value, the power cutoff unit for cutting off the power supply from the secondary battery and the remaining battery level detection means are detected. The remaining battery level is not less than the predetermined value. If the second mode is selected by the mode selection unit and the power generation amount by the power generation unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined power generation amount, the suppression suppression that suppresses the power supply cutoff by the power cutoff unit And a portion.

  In the portable electronic device of the present invention, it is a case where the remaining amount of the secondary battery is low, and it is possible to suitably control the operation of the function according to the amount of power generation in the power generation means, and to improve usability I can do it.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 4 are external views of a mobile phone which is an example of a mobile electronic device according to the present invention. This mobile phone includes a first casing 1, a second casing 2, and a hinge section 3 that connects the two casings 1 and 2 in such a manner that they can be overlapped in the thickness direction. . The hinge portion 3 is rotatable in the overlapping direction around the first rotation shaft 4 with respect to the first rotation shaft 4 provided at the end of the first housing 1 and the first housing 1. And a second rotating shaft 6 for connecting the second housing 2 to the intermediate connecting body 5 so as to be rotatable in the front-back direction. The first rotating shaft 4 and the second rotating shaft 6 are orthogonal to each other, and the first housing 1 and the second housing 2 can be opened and closed by rotating in the overlapping direction around the first rotating shaft 4. The second casing 2 can be rotated with respect to the first casing 1 in the reverse direction.

  A plurality of operation keys 7 that can be pressed such as a call key, an end key, and a numeric key are provided on the upper surface 1a of the first housing 1 (the overlapping surface with the second housing 2). . In addition, a charging port 9 for connecting a charging connection connector 8a of the charger 8 is provided on the end surface opposite to the hinge portion 3 of the first casing 1, and charging is performed inside the first casing 1. The battery (secondary battery) 10 for supplying electric power to the electronic components arranged in the mobile phone is built in. A display unit 12 such as a liquid crystal display is provided on one surface (second surface) 11 of the front and back surfaces of the second housing 2, and the other surface (first surface) of the front and back surfaces of the second housing 2. ) 13 is provided with a substantially rectangular photovoltaic power generation panel 14 (photovoltaic power generation means) which generates power (power generation) upon receipt of light as power generation means and supplies the generated power to the battery 10.

  2 to 4 show a state in which the first casing 1 and the second casing 2 are rotated around the first rotation shaft 4 and overlapped with each other. 4, the other surface of the second housing 2 is directed outward by a reversing operation centered on the second rotation shaft 6, and the one in FIG. One surface of the housing 2 is directed outward.

  MR sensors (open / close detection means, front / back detection means) 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d configured by pairs of magnets and magnetoresistive elements are attached to the first casing 1 and the second casing 2, and this The MR sensor 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d can detect the open / closed state of the casings 1, 2. Specifically, magnetoresistive elements 15a and 15b are disposed on the left and right positions of the upper surface 1a of the first casing 1, and the second surface 11 of the second casing 2 is positioned on the left side of the display unit. The first magnet 15c is disposed on the left surface of the first surface 13 of the first surface 13 toward the photovoltaic panel 14, and the magnets 15c and 15d and the magnetoresistive elements 15a and 15b are disposed. Is detected to detect the open / closed state of both housings 1 and 2 and the front / back state of the second housing 2. In addition, a pair of protrusions 30 protruding upward are provided on the upper surface of the first casing 1 on the side opposite to the hinge portion 3. When the projection 30 is in a closed state in which the second casing 2 is overlapped with the first casing 1, the projection 30 is separated from the display unit 12 and the photovoltaic panel 14 on the surfaces 11 and 13 of the second casing. It comes in contact with the disengaged position. The protrusion 30 prevents the photovoltaic panel 14 from interfering with the first casing 1 side when the second casing 2 is closed with the display unit 12 or the photovoltaic panel 14 turned down. In this embodiment, it is formed integrally with the first housing 1. The protrusion 30 constitutes an abutting suppression member, and may be formed of a soft material having a buffering action.

  FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration of this mobile phone. A controller 16 for controlling various functions and the like is provided inside the first housing. As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 16 has a key input circuit for processing a key operation signal of the operation key 7. 17, a display circuit 18 that processes a display signal of the display unit 12, a sound processing circuit 21 that processes a sound signal such as a speaker 19 (informing means) and a microphone 20, and a communication circuit for communication through an antenna 22. 23 and a camera control circuit 24 for controlling the built-in camera. The controller 16 is connected to a memory 25 in which programs and various values are stored, and is connected to a power control circuit 26 (power control means) that controls power in the apparatus. A signal corresponding to the open / closed state of the housings 1 and 2 and the front / back state of the second housing 2 in the closed state is input.

  FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration diagram centering on the controller 16 of the portion related to the power management of the cellular phone. As shown in the figure, the calculation unit 31 in the controller 16 receives state signals of the casings 1 and 2 from the MR sensor 15 and receives voltage signals Vb and Vs from the battery 10 and the photovoltaic panel 14, respectively. Entered. Then, the calculation unit 31 detects the remaining battery level of the battery 10 according to the voltage signal Vb from the battery 10, and the power generation state (power generation amount) at the photovoltaic panel 14 according to the voltage signal Vs from the photovoltaic panel 14. ) Is detected. The controller 16 compares the input signals Vb and Vs with various threshold values Vb1, Vb2, Vb3, and Vs1 stored in the memory 25 as appropriate to charge the battery 10 using the photovoltaic panel 14 and the like. Judging whether or not is necessary.

  Then, the control unit 32 receives the output of the calculation unit 31 that is a determination result of whether or not charging is necessary, and outputs a warning corresponding to the output from the speaker 19. Therefore, in this embodiment, the calculation unit 31 of the controller 16 constitutes a main part of the charging necessity determination unit, and the control unit 32 and the speaker 19 of the controller 16 constitute a main part of the notification unit.

In the case of this embodiment, the following warnings (1) to (3) are set for the speaker 19.
(1) A warning that prompts the photovoltaic panel 14 to stop charging when the battery 10 is in an overcharged state.
(2) A warning notifying a shutdown for turning off the power of the mobile phone when the remaining capacity of the battery 10 is greatly reduced.

  The determination to perform the above warning (1) is made based on whether or not the voltage signal Vb of the battery 10 is equal to or higher than the full charge determination threshold Vb1 indicating a level close to the full charge state. Is determined to be in the power generation state ("power generation" means that the photovoltaic panel 14 is in a chargeable power generation state). The voltage signal Vs of the photovoltaic panel 14 is determined by the photovoltaic power generation. Judgment is made based on whether or not the judgment threshold is Vs1 or more. Therefore, in this embodiment, the power supply control circuit 26 that outputs the voltage signal Vs from the photovoltaic panel 14 and the calculation unit 31 of the controller 16 constitute a power generation state detection unit.

  Further, the determination to perform the warning (2) is made based on whether or not the voltage signal Vb of the battery 10 is less than the shutdown determination threshold value Vb3 (predetermined value) indicating the level at which the remaining capacity is greatly reduced. .

  Further, the controller (power cutoff unit) 16 controls the power supply when the remaining battery level of the battery 10 detected according to the voltage signal Vb from the battery 10 is equal to or less than a predetermined value (the voltage signal Vb is equal to or less than the shutdown determination threshold Vb3). Shut-down processing is performed to shut off the power supply of the mobile phone by shutting off power supply from the battery 10 to the various electronic components (display circuit 18, camera control circuit 24, memory 25, etc.) via the circuit 26.

  Furthermore, the controller 16 supplies, as processing modes for power supply processing, a normal mode (first mode) for supplying power to various electronic components, and supplies power to only some of the various electronic components to various electronic components. Among the power saving modes (second mode) for lowering (suppressing) the power supply compared to the normal mode (modes that are set in the operation via the key input circuit 17 or other control processing (predetermined modes)) ) To control power supply from the battery 10 via the power supply control circuit 26.

  In addition, the power control circuit 26 supplies the battery 10 with power supplied according to the power generation by the photovoltaic panel 14, and the battery 10 is charged with the power supplied by the power generation. Then, electric power is supplied from the battery 10 charged by power generation by the photovoltaic panel 14 to the controller 16 through the power supply control circuit 26 and is supplied to various electronic components.

  Further, the controller 16 determines whether or not the voltage signal Vs from the photovoltaic panel 14 input via the power circuit 26 is equal to or greater than a threshold value Vs1 (predetermined power generation amount) stored in the memory 25. Even when the remaining battery level of the battery 10 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value (the voltage signal Vb is equal to or lower than the shutdown determination threshold value Vb3) and the shutdown process for turning off the power of the mobile phone is performed, the processing mode of the power supply process is When the power saving mode is set and the voltage signal Vs from the photovoltaic panel 14 is equal to or higher than the threshold value Vs1 (predetermined amount of power generation), the shutdown process is suppressed, and the power generated by the photovoltaic panel 14 is generated. Is supplied to some of the various electronic components that are supplied with power in the power saving mode. Here, the threshold value Vs1 (predetermined power generation amount) is set to a value corresponding to the electric power required to drive some of the various electronic components that are supplied with electric power in the power saving mode.

  Some of these electronic components are set as electronic components related to the call function, and for example, to use a key input circuit 17 for inputting a telephone number, a voice circuit 21 and a communication circuit 23 for communication, and an address book. Memory 25 and the like are set. Alternatively, an electronic component related to an arbitrary function selected by the user of the mobile phone may be set.

  Hereinafter, the flow of power supply processing from the battery 10 by the controller 16 will be described according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7, 8, and 9.

<Processing based on power supply mode>
The processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is started when the power is switched from off to on, or when all functions are finished and the standby state is entered.

  First, after confirming the setting state of the power supply mode for various electronic components in step S1, it is determined in step S2 whether the set power supply mode is the normal mode or the power saving mode. If it is determined that the power saving mode is set, the process proceeds to step S3, and the power supply from the battery 10 is controlled in the power saving mode. Specifically, power from the battery 10 is supplied only to the electronic components related to the call function. Therefore, functions other than the call function cannot be activated and operated. Note that the present invention is not limited to the call function, and any function may be set so that only the set arbitrary function is activated to reduce power consumption.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the power saving mode is not selected and the normal mode is determined, power supply control in the normal mode is performed. In this normal mode, it is possible to supply power to the electronic components related to all the functions of the mobile phone, and it is possible to perform the starting operation of all the functions. Therefore, the power consumption in the normal mode is larger than that in the power saving mode.

  When the power supply control in step S3 and step S4 ends, the processing based on this flowchart is ended.

<Shutdown processing>
When the power is on, the shutdown process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is performed. In this process, when the remaining battery level of the battery 10 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a process of switching the power supply to an off state and suppressing power supply to various electronic components is performed.
Specifically, first, when the power is on, the remaining battery level of the battery 10 detected by the calculation unit 31 in step S11 is equal to or less than a predetermined value (the voltage signal Vb of the battery 10 is less than the threshold value Vb3). If it is determined whether or not the remaining battery level is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S12, and it is determined whether or not the power supply processing mode is set to the power saving mode.

  If it is determined in step S12 that the power saving mode is set, the process proceeds to step S13, and whether or not the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic panel 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount of power generation (the voltage signal Vs is equal to or greater than the threshold value Vs1). Determine.

  If it is determined in step S13 that the photovoltaic panel 14 is generating more power than the predetermined power generation amount, the process proceeds to step S14, and the shutdown process performed when the remaining battery level of the battery 10 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value is performed. It is suppressed. As described above, even when the remaining battery level of the battery 10 is equal to or less than the predetermined value, when the power generation by the photovoltaic panel 14 is equal to or greater than the predetermined power generation amount, it is possible to supply power to the electronic components related to various functions and continue. Thus, various functions can be used, and convenience for the user of the mobile phone is improved.

  If it is determined in step S12 that the power supply processing mode is set to the normal mode instead of the power saving mode, or it is determined in step S13 that the power generation in the photovoltaic panel 14 is less than the predetermined power generation amount. If YES in step S15, the flow advances to step S15 to execute a shutdown process, and the mobile phone is turned off. By turning off the power of the mobile phone by the shutdown process, the minimum necessary functions such as a timekeeping function can be continuously operated.

<Process during call operation>
The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9 executed when a call operation by the call function is performed will be described.

  When the power is on, it is determined whether or not the remaining battery level of the battery 10 detected by the calculation unit 31 in step S21 is equal to or less than a predetermined value (the voltage signal Vb of the battery 10 is less than the threshold value Vb3). If it is determined that the remaining battery level is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S22 to determine whether the power supply processing mode is set to the power saving mode.

  If it is determined in step S22 that the power saving mode is set, the process proceeds to step S23, and whether or not the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic panel 14 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount of power generation (the voltage signal Vs is equal to or greater than the threshold value Vs1). Determine.

  If it is determined in step S23 that the photovoltaic power generation panel 14 is generating more power than the predetermined power generation amount, the process proceeds to step S24, and continuation of the call operation process by the call function is permitted. In step S24, the power supply is controlled so that the power from the battery 10 is supplied only to the electronic component that is operated when the call function is executed. This is because, even if the remaining battery level of the battery 10 is less than or equal to a predetermined value, when the power generation at the photovoltaic panel 14 is greater than or equal to the predetermined power generation amount, the electric power obtained by the power generation at the photovoltaic panel 14 is transferred to the battery 10. Thus, the electronic component can be supplied to the electronic component and operated, so that the telephone call operation can be continuously performed, and the convenience of the user of the mobile phone is improved.

  If it is determined in step S22 that the power supply processing mode is set to the normal mode instead of the power saving mode, or it is determined in step S23 that the power generation in the photovoltaic panel 14 is less than the predetermined power generation amount. If this is the case, the process proceeds to step S25, where the remaining battery level of the battery 10 is less than or equal to a predetermined value, and the power generation at the photovoltaic panel 14 is less than the predetermined power generation amount. A warning indicating this is notified to the user of the mobile phone. By this warning notification, the user can recognize that the call cannot be continued, and the battery 10 is charged as necessary, or the power supply mode is set (changed) to the power saving mode. Therefore, it is possible to continue the call by changing the form and position of the mobile phone so that the power generation at the photovoltaic power generation panel 14 is equal to or greater than the predetermined power generation amount, thereby improving convenience. I can do it. The warning notification mode may be any type of notification, such as voice notification, screen display notification, vibration notification, lamp lighting notification, or the like, as long as it allows the user to recognize that continuous calls are difficult. .

  When each process of step S24 or step S25 ends, the process of this flowchart ends.

  As described above, in the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, when the remaining battery level of the battery 10 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the shutdown process for switching the power supply to the off state is executed, but the power generation at the photovoltaic panel 14 is predetermined. When the power generation amount is equal to or greater than the power generation amount, execution of the shutdown process is suppressed, and the mobile phone can be used continuously, so that the convenience of the mobile phone can be improved. In particular, even when the remaining battery level of the battery 10 becomes a predetermined value or less during a call operation, the call operation can be continued when the power generation by the photovoltaic panel 14 is a predetermined power generation amount or more. Convenience during a call can be improved.

  In the process shown in FIG. 8 in the above-described embodiment, the shutdown process is performed when the remaining battery level of the battery 10 is equal to or less than a predetermined value and the power generation at the photovoltaic panel 14 is equal to or greater than the predetermined power generation amount. Although it is configured to suppress execution, in addition to suppressing execution of shutdown processing, it may be configured to control power supply so that power is supplied only to electronic components related to a specific function among a plurality of functions. . The power supply control related to this specific function can reduce power consumption due to unnecessary power supply. This specific function may be set in advance or may be arbitrarily selected by the user, but it is preferable that at least a communication function such as a call function or a mail function is set. In this case, it is preferable that the predetermined power generation amount for the power generation by the photovoltaic panel 14 is set to a value equal to or greater than the minimum power amount required for the operation of the specific function (communication function or the like).

  Moreover, although the warning notification process in step S25 in the flowchart process shown in FIG. 9 is configured to issue a warning notification only during a call operation, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. When the remaining battery level of the battery 10 is less than or equal to a predetermined value and the power generation at the photovoltaic panel 14 is less than the predetermined power generation amount, a warning notification may be made as in step S25. Also in this case, the warning notification prompts the user to set the power saving mode (mode change) and to generate more power than the predetermined power generation amount in the photovoltaic panel 14, so that the mobile phone can be used continuously. Thus, convenience can be improved.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various design change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary. For example, in the above embodiment, a mobile phone has been described as an example of the mobile electronic device. However, the mobile electronic device according to the present invention may be a mobile electronic device such as a PDA, an electronic dictionary, or a camera. Further, the power generation means is not limited to the photovoltaic power generation panel, and may be configured using other power generation means such as a fuel cell.

1 is a plan view of a mobile phone in an open state according to an embodiment of the present invention. The top view of the mobile telephone which shows the same embodiment and folded the photovoltaic panel upwards. The top view of the mobile telephone which shows the same embodiment and folded the display part facing up. The side view of the mobile phone which shows the same embodiment and folded the photovoltaic panel facing up. The schematic circuit block diagram of the mobile telephone of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a portion related to power management centering on a controller of the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of control of the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of control of the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of control of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st housing | casing 2 2nd housing | casing 3 Hinge part 4 1st rotating shaft 6 2nd rotating shaft 10 Battery 11 One side 13 The other side 14 Photovoltaic panel 15 MR sensor 16 Controller 19 Speaker 26 Power supply control circuit

Claims (6)

A housing,
A secondary battery disposed in the housing and supplying power to various electronic components;
A remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the secondary battery;
Mode selection means for selecting one mode from a plurality of modes including at least a first mode and a second mode that consumes less power for the secondary battery than the first mode;
Power control means for controlling power supply from the secondary battery according to the predetermined mode selected by the mode selection means;
Power generation means for supplying power generated by the power generation operation to the secondary battery,
The power control unit includes a power cutoff unit that shuts off power supply from the secondary battery when the remaining battery level of the secondary battery detected by the remaining level detection unit is a predetermined value or less, and the remaining level The second mode is selected by the mode selection means when the remaining battery level detected by the detection means is less than or equal to the predetermined value, and the power generation amount by the power generation means is greater than or equal to a predetermined power generation amount. In some cases, the portable electronic device includes: a cutoff suppression unit that suppresses the power supply cutoff by the power cutoff unit. The power control means permits power supply from the secondary battery only to electronic components related to a specific function among a plurality of functions when the second mode is selected by the mode selection means. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: Having communication means;
The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the specific function is a communication function by the communication unit. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined power generation amount is set to a value that is equal to or greater than a minimum power amount necessary for executing the specific function. When the specific function is being executed and the battery remaining amount detected by the remaining amount detecting means is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the second mode is selected and the power generation is greater than or equal to the predetermined power generation amount. 5. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising a notification unit that performs notification for prompting power generation by the unit. 6. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the power generation means is a photovoltaic power generation means that performs a power generation operation by receiving light.