JP2011249866A - Portable electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable electronic equipment capable of reproducing images with the best image quality in consideration of a battery remaining amount.SOLUTION: The portable electronic equipment, driving a battery as operation power, is configured by including: display means that displays an image; display control means that can selectively implement a plurality of high picture quality processing for improving the quality of the image to be displayed on the display means; electric energy detection means that detects electric energy stored by the battery; and processing selection means that selects the high picture quality processing implemented by the display control means according to the electric energy detected by the electric energy detection means.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone or a portable personal computer.

As is well known, rechargeable batteries are used as drive power in portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and notebook personal computers. Some can be operated while charging.
Recently, portable electronic devices have functions such as playback of moving images and reception of digital terrestrial broadcasting. Since these functions give a high load to the processor, the power consumption is also large.

  On the other hand, conventionally, a low power consumption mode that suppresses the load on the processor is provided, and when this mode is selected by the user, for example, it is considered to reduce the processor load by suppressing the reproduction quality of moving images. Yes.

  However, in the mode selection by the user, there is a problem that the reproduction quality is unnecessarily deteriorated or the communication function cannot be used in an emergency without sufficiently suppressing power consumption.

JP 2000-314332 A

  Conventional portable electronic devices have a problem in that image reproduction with quality corresponding to the remaining battery capacity cannot be performed. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device that can perform image reproduction with quality according to the remaining battery level.

  According to the embodiment, in a portable electronic device that uses a battery as operating power, it is possible to selectively perform display means for displaying an image and a plurality of image quality enhancement processes for improving the image quality of the image displayed on the display means. Display control means, power amount detection means for detecting the amount of power stored in the battery, and process selection for selecting a high image quality processing performed by the display control means according to the amount of power detected by the power amount detection means Means.

1 is a circuit block diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of a portable electronic device. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation related to a power consumption control function of the portable electronic device shown in FIG. 1. The figure which predicted the change of the electric energy which a secondary battery stores.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, a multifunctional mobile phone, a so-called smartphone will be described as an example of a portable electronic device.

  The mobile phone shown in FIG. 1 includes, as main components, a wireless communication unit 10, a display unit 20, an illuminance sensor 21, a call unit 30, an operation unit 40, a storage unit 50, and a broadcast receiving unit 60. , A GPS receiver 70, a digital camera 80, an infrared communication unit 90, a control unit 100, a charging circuit 110, a secondary battery 120, and a power supply circuit 130.

  This mobile phone has, as main functions, a communication function for performing voice communication and data communication via a base station device BS and a mobile communication network MN, and a broadcast for receiving a terrestrial digital broadcast signal transmitted from a broadcast station BC. It has a reception function, a positioning function for positioning its own position, an infrared communication function for performing infrared communication with other mobile phones MS, and a function for executing application software using these. In addition, Bluetooth (registered trademark) and non-contact short-range wireless communication have a credit settlement function, an electronic money function that uses transportation and pays for purchases of goods.

  The radio communication unit 10 performs radio communication with the base station apparatus BS accommodated in the mobile communication network MN in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 100, thereby transmitting / receiving voice data, e-mail data, etc., Web data And receiving streaming data.

  The display unit 20 uses a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays images (still images and moving images), character information, and the like under the control of the control unit 100, and visually. It conveys information to the user. The display unit 20 includes a backlight 20a using a plurality of light sources such as LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and illuminates the display device from the back. The backlight 20a may be either an edge light type or a direct type. The display unit 20 may use an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel. In this case, the backlight 20a is unnecessary, and the light emission amount of the organic EL panel is controlled instead.

  The illuminance sensor 21 detects the amount of light incident on the display unit 20 and notifies the control unit 100 of the detected light amount. Note that the control unit 100 adjusts the amount of light emitted from the plurality of light sources constituting the backlight 20a based on the light amount and display content so that the image displayed on the display device can be easily viewed by the user. .

  The call unit 30 includes a speaker 31 and a microphone 32, converts user's voice input through the microphone 32 into voice data that can be processed by the control unit 100, and outputs the voice data to the control unit 100. The voice data received from the other party through the phone is decoded and output from the speaker 31.

  The operation unit 40 includes a touch panel provided on the display unit 20 in addition to a plurality of key switches and the like, and receives instructions from the user through the touch panel. The touch panel may be any system such as a resistance film system, a capacitance system, and an electromagnetic induction system, and detects coordinates on the touch panel operated by the user and notifies the control unit 100 of the detected coordinates.

  Note that the control unit 100 detects an icon or a function key displayed in the display area on the display unit 20 corresponding to the coordinate based on the coordinate notified from the operation unit 40, and recognizes it as an operation for this. For operations, one-click, double-click, drag, and other actions based on multi-point contact are detected, and commands intended by the user (selection, execution, movement, display enlargement / reduction, screen slide (page feed), etc.) Is recognized and executed by the control unit 100.

  The storage unit 50 includes control program and control data of the control unit 100, application software, address data that associates the name and telephone number of the communication partner, transmitted and received e-mail data, Web data downloaded by web browsing, download Stored content data. For example, it is realized using an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a NAND type memory, SDRAM or the like.

  The broadcast receiving unit 60 is a digital tuner that receives a terrestrial digital broadcast signal transmitted from the broadcast station BC and obtains broadcast data (encoded stream) in which a video signal is encoded in a format such as MPEG2 or H.264. Thus, one segment or full segment can be selectively received. The broadcast station BC may be a normal broadcast station that broadcasts over a wide area, or may be an area-limited broadcast station that has a specific area such as a large store or public facility as a reception area.

  The GPS receiver 70 receives a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal transmitted from the GPS satellites ST1 to STn and measures a position (latitude, longitude, altitude), and position information obtained by this positioning. (Latitude, longitude, altitude) is output to the control unit 100.

  The digital camera 80 is a digital camera that captures an image using an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and is controlled by the control unit 100 to obtain image data obtained by the image capture. Output to the controller 100.

  The infrared communication unit 90 performs infrared communication with an opposite device (for example, another mobile phone MS) having an infrared communication function. Operation setting is performed by the control unit 100 and transmission data provided from the control unit 100 is transmitted. Data transmitted by infrared light or data transmitted by infrared light from the opposite device is received and output to the control unit 100 as received data.

  The control unit 100 includes a microprocessor and controls the respective units of the mobile radio terminal device. The control unit 100 performs control for realizing various multimedia functions in addition to the normal voice communication function. To do.

  Specific controls include, for example, a communication control function for controlling each part of the communication system to perform voice communication and data communication, mail software for creating and sending / receiving e-mails, and web browsing. Browser software, media playback software for downloading and playing streaming data from server SV through the Internet NW, broadcast receiving software for receiving terrestrial digital broadcast signals transmitted from broadcasting station BC, and controlling digital camera 80 Image processing software for photographing and image analysis software for decoding QR (Quick Response) code (registered trademark) by image analysis are selectively executed, and an application processing function for controlling each unit related thereto is provided.

  Further, the control unit 100, for example, based on information notified from the charging circuit 110 and the power supply circuit 130 described later, for example, a state in which the power consumption exceeds the supplied power (so-called while the secondary battery 120 is in a charged state) It has a power consumption control function that detects a state of minus charge) or a state close thereto and controls power consumption by an application being executed.

  The control unit 100 has a function of estimating the amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120 from the voltage level of the secondary battery 120 notified from the charging circuit 110. The control unit 100 has a function of estimating power consumption based on the supply current notified from the power supply circuit 130.

  The charging circuit 110 detects the voltage and temperature of the secondary battery 120 according to the control of the control unit 100 and notifies the control unit 100 of the voltage, and uses the power supplied from the external power source as a source. Charge. Specifically, the temperature detection and voltage detection of the secondary battery 120 and the above charging are intermittently repeated alternately so that the secondary battery 120 is not overcharged. In addition, the charging circuit 110 detects the type of the charger as an external power source (separate power supply by an AC adapter, power supply by a fuel cell, power supply by solar power generation, or power supply capability (wattage)), and Notice. Based on this notification, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the secondary battery 120 is charged.

The secondary battery 120 is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery, and can be repeatedly charged.
The power supply circuit 130 supplies driving power to each part of the mobile phone using the secondary battery 120 as a power source. The power supply circuit 130 has a voltage conversion function and a rectification function, and controls and controls a supply current to each part. A function of notifying the unit 100 is provided.

  Next, the operation of the mobile phone configured as described above will be described. In the following description, the power consumption control function will be described in particular. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the power consumption control function, and is executed by the control unit 100. The control program and control data for the power consumption control function are stored in the storage unit 50, and the control unit 100 operates according to these pieces of information to realize the power consumption control function. This power consumption control function is repeatedly executed when the mobile phone is turned on until the power is turned off.

  First, in step 2a, the control unit 100 monitors the notification from the charging circuit 110 and determines whether any charger is connected to the charging circuit 110 and power for charging is supplied. If charging is being performed, the process proceeds to step 2b. If charging is not being performed, the process proceeds to step 2c.

  In step 2b, the control unit 100 receives a notification of the charger type from the charging circuit 110. And the control part 100 detects the charging capability (power supply capability with respect to the secondary battery 120) of the charger connected to the said mobile telephone from the said notification, and transfers to step 2c.

  In step 2c, the control unit 100 receives notification of the voltage of the secondary battery 120 from the charging circuit 110, and proceeds to step 2c. Note that the charging circuit 110 intermittently charges the secondary battery 120 and detects the voltage of the secondary battery 120 at a timing when charging is not performed.

  In step 2d, the control unit 100 determines the level of the electric energy P stored in the secondary battery 120 based on the voltage notified in step 2c, and proceeds to step 2e. This is because the voltage of the secondary battery generally has a correlation with the amount of stored power.

  The level is divided into three levels based on, for example, Th1 and Th2 (Th2> Th1> 0). That is, if the voltage is not less than 0 and less than Th1, it is determined as P1, if it is not less than Th1 and less than Th2, it is determined as P2, and if not less than Th2, it is determined as P3.

  In step 2e, the control unit 100 proceeds to step 2a if the power amount P detected in step 2d is P3, and proceeds to step 2f if it is not P3. That is, when the power amount P is P3, a sufficient amount of power is stored, so that the subsequent process is not performed.

In step 2f, the control unit 100 receives a supply current notification from the power supply circuit 130, detects or estimates the current power consumption, and proceeds to step 2g.
In step 2g, the control unit 100 detects a process currently being executed, and proceeds to step 2h. Note that the process currently being executed is a function realized by executing a communication control function (including an incoming call waiting process) or the above-described various software.

  In step 2h, the control unit 100 performs processing related to image display capable of controlling power consumption among the processing detected in step 2g (for example, display of a still image or display of a moving image such as streaming data or terrestrial digital broadcasting). ) And the charging capacity of the charger detected in step 2b (the charging capacity “0” if determined No in step 2a), the level of power determined in step 2d, and the detection in step 2f Based on the power consumption, the amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120 is estimated after a predetermined time, and the power consumption of the detected process is maintained so that the power amount maintains a preset level after the predetermined time. Interrupt processing for controlling is performed, and the process proceeds to step 2a.

  In addition, the process which suppresses more power consumption is performed, so that the charging capability detected at step 2b is low. Moreover, the process which suppresses more power consumption is performed, so that the level of the electric energy determined at step 2d is low. As a result, the state is shifted from the negative charge state or a state close thereto to an equilibrium state in which the charge and consumption are balanced or a positive charge state in which the charge exceeds the consumption.

  Hereinafter, examples (1) to (4) of processing related to image display capable of controlling power consumption will be described.

・ Example (1)
In image display, high image quality image processing for improving image quality includes pixel processing realized by correcting pixel values such as color difference correction, luminance correction, edge enhancement, noise removal, etc. Frame interpolation processing to interpolate frames, resizing processing to change the image size by interpolating new pixels between consecutive pixels on the same frame (or thinning out from consecutive pixels), light quantity detected by illuminance sensor 21 and display content Based on the above, there is a luminance control process for controlling the light emission amounts of the plurality of light sources (LEDs) constituting the backlight 20a.

  Therefore, in the interruption process in step 2h, the current operation is continued based on the charging capability of the charger detected in step 2b, the level of power determined in step 2d, and the power consumption detected in step 2e. The amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120 after a predetermined time is estimated. For example, the amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120 is predicted from the amount of power currently stored, the amount of charge, and the amount of current consumed. Then, the processing (load) to be performed is selectively determined among the plurality of high-quality image processing so that the estimated power amount can maintain a preset level, and the remaining processing is not performed. Thereby, the image quality-enhanced image processing is executed as much as possible while maintaining the predetermined amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120 after a predetermined time, thereby improving the reproduction image quality.

  More specifically, a table indicating the current consumption amount of each high-quality image processing (pixel processing, frame interpolation processing, resizing processing, luminance control processing, etc.) is stored in the storage unit 50 in advance. . And the control part 100 estimates the change (slope) of the electric energy which the secondary battery 120 stores, when one or several image quality improvement image processing is performed. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 100 compares a target inclination threshold TH that can store a certain level of power P after a predetermined time with the result of the prediction, and compares the power P Can be stored, and the process to be executed is selected and executed from the plurality of high-quality image processing so that the maximum number of high-quality image processing can be executed. In addition, information indicating the priority of each high-quality image processing may be recorded in the table in advance, and the control unit 100 may preferentially select a process with a high priority.

・ Example (2)
The control unit 100 may decode a plurality of pieces of image data in parallel by image display processing, and display a plurality of images on the display unit 20 simultaneously based on a plurality of video signals obtained by the decoding. When a plurality of images are simultaneously displayed on the display unit 20 in this way, the control unit 100 treats the focused image as the main display and treats the remaining image as the sub display.

  In such a situation where a plurality of images are displayed simultaneously, an interrupt process for reducing power consumption is performed on a part of the images by suppressing the image processing with high image quality as described above. That is, for the main display, all of various pixel processing, frame interpolation processing, resizing processing, luminance control processing, etc. are applied, and the luminance (brightness) by the backlight 20a is further increased, so that the image can be viewed with high image quality. Is displayed.

  On the other hand, for the sub display, as described in the example (1), the high-quality image processing is selectively suppressed, the image quality is lowered, and the power consumption is suppressed. For example, the frame rate is not increased (or reduced), the luminance (brightness) is not increased by the backlight 20a (or reduced by dimming), and the main The amount of processing required for high quality image processing is suppressed rather than display.

・ Example (3)
The frame interpolation process is performed only when the amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120 is greater than or equal to the threshold value. For this reason, when the electric energy stored in the secondary battery 120 is less than the threshold value, the frame rate is not increased or is decreased. Alternatively, only I-frames are sequentially displayed, or no video signal is generated for the next frame, and the currently displayed image is fixed and displayed (freeze display).

  When returning to the normal display from the freeze-displayed state, the video signal is generated based on the image data that has progressed from that time to the current time in consideration of the elapsed time from the time of the freeze. Or the so-called time-shift playback is performed to buffer the image data after the point of freezing, and the buffered image data is sequentially generated and displayed. You may do it.

・ Example (4)
The luminance control process is performed only when the amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120 is equal to or greater than a threshold value. For this reason, when the amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120 is less than the threshold, the luminance control process is not performed, or the light source is caused to emit light at a constant low luminance. When a self-luminous panel such as an organic EL panel is used as the light source, the same control is performed on the light emission amount of the organic EL panel.

  As described above, there are a plurality of mobile phones configured as described above in consideration of the amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120, the charging capability of the power supply source for charging, the power consumption, the processing being executed, and the like. The high-quality image processing is selectively executed to maintain the reproduction image quality as high as possible.

  Therefore, according to the mobile phone configured as described above, it is possible to perform image reproduction with a quality corresponding to the amount of power stored in the secondary battery 120, and to perform an operation with a balance between the battery duration and the processing capability. be able to. Thereby, it is possible to perform image processing and display with the best image quality in consideration of the charging state.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. Further, for example, a configuration in which some components are deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment is also conceivable. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component described in different embodiment.

  As an example, for example, the process of transition to step 2b may be performed only when it is detected that charging is in progress. As a result, it is possible to perform control for the purpose of preventing a negative charge state. Further, the power supplied by charging (detected in step 2c) and the power consumption (step 2f) are compared, and when a negative charging state occurs, the high-quality image processing is selectively suppressed and positive charging is performed. You may control so that it may be in a state.

  In the above embodiment, the processing shown in FIG. 2 has been described as being repeatedly executed until the power is turned off when the power of the mobile phone is turned on, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 100 may execute the process shown in FIG. 2 every time a preset time elapses using a countdown timer. That is, the process shown in FIG. 2 may be executed intermittently.

  The process shown in FIG. 2 performs the process shown in FIG. 2 when the reproduction of the moving image content is started, and ends the process shown in FIG. 2 when the content reproduction ends. Alternatively, when the displayed image is switched, the processing shown in FIG. 2 may be executed.

  In step 2f of the process shown in FIG. 2, the power consumption is detected based on the supply current measured by the power supply circuit 130. Instead of this, for example, the execution in progress detected in step 2g is performed. The power consumption may be estimated based on the processing. In this case, a table in which the processing identification information and the product power are associated with each other is stored in the storage unit 50, and the control unit 100 refers to this table to estimate the power consumption.

  In the above embodiment, a secondary battery has been described as an example of a battery. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a battery that combines a fuel cell and a secondary battery. Depending on the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel cell, the load amount of information processing may be varied to suppress power consumption.

In addition, when interrupt control is performed in step 2h of the process shown in FIG. 2 to reduce power consumption, the control unit 100 notifies the user via the display unit 20 and the speaker 32. You may do it. Thereby, since the user can recognize that the secondary battery 120 is not sufficiently charged, the user can terminate unnecessary processing according to his / her intention.
In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be similarly implemented even if various modifications are made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Wireless communication part, 20 ... Display part, 20a ... Backlight, 21 ... Illuminance sensor, 30 ... Call part, 31 ... Speaker, 32 ... Microphone, 40 ... Operation part, 50 ... Memory | storage part, 60 ... Broadcast receiving part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 70 ... GPS receiver part 80 ... Digital camera 90 ... Infrared communication part 100 ... Control part 110 ... Charging circuit 120 ... Secondary battery 130 ... Power supply circuit BC ... Broadcasting station BS ... Base station apparatus MN ... mobile communication network, MS ... mobile phone, ST1 ~ STn ... GPS satellite.

Claims (5)

In portable electronic devices that drive batteries as operating power,
Display means for displaying an image;
Display control means capable of selectively performing a plurality of image quality enhancement processes for improving the image quality of the image displayed on the display means;
A power amount detecting means for detecting a power amount stored in the battery;
A portable electronic device comprising: a process selection unit that selects an image quality enhancement process performed by the display control unit according to the amount of power detected by the power amount detection unit. Furthermore, it comprises a charge determination means for determining whether or not the battery is charged.
The processing selection unit selects an image quality enhancement process performed by the display control unit according to the amount of power detected by the power amount detection unit and a determination result of the charge determination unit. The portable electronic device according to 1. Furthermore, it comprises a charging capability detection means for detecting the charging capability of the device for charging the battery,
The processing selection unit selects an image quality enhancement process performed by the display control unit according to the amount of power detected by the power amount detection unit and a detection result of the charging capability detection unit. Item 2. A portable electronic device according to Item 1. Furthermore, a power consumption detecting means for detecting power consumption is provided,
The processing selection unit selects an image quality enhancement process performed by the display control unit according to the amount of power detected by the power amount detection unit and a detection result of the power consumption detection unit. Item 2. A portable electronic device according to Item 1. In portable electronic devices that drive batteries as operating power,
Display means for displaying an image;
Display control means capable of selectively performing a plurality of image quality enhancement processes for improving the image quality of the image displayed on the display means;
Charging capacity detecting means for detecting a charging capacity of a device for charging the battery;
Power consumption detecting means for detecting power consumption;
A charging unit detected by the charging capability detection unit; and a process selection unit that selects an image quality enhancement process performed by the display control unit according to the power consumption detected by the power consumption detection unit. A portable electronic device.

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