JP2023084481A - Information terminal and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To make it easy for a user to recognize the effect of power consumption reduction by stopping the functions of an electronic device.SOLUTION: An information terminal acquires a setting for reducing power consumption input by a user, which is a setting of a communicable electronic device, predicts the amount of power consumption reduction on the basis of the acquired setting, draws an image showing the predicted reduction in power consumption and displays the image on display means, and transmits the acquired setting of the reduction in power consumption to the electronic device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an information terminal and program.

Providing a power saving mode in which some functions are stopped is known as a method of reducing power consumption and, for example, extending battery life. There are also devices that can be set to a power saving mode from an external device such as a smartphone.

In Patent Document 1, a connected electrical device measures power consumption, and based on the time-series power consumption, the time transition of the total power consumption when the operation period of the electrical device is changed, or the electricity bill for the day is calculated. It is described to simulate and display.

Patent No. 6484406

For example, when setting multiple functions to reduce power consumption, it is difficult to know in advance how much power consumption will be reduced. Therefore, for example, there is a risk that the function will be stopped more than necessary, and the user's convenience will be impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique that enables easy recognition of the effect of power consumption reduction by stopping the function of an electronic device.

In order to solve the above problems, the technology according to the present invention employs the configuration described below.

(1) Settings for power consumption reduction input by a user, setting acquisition means for acquiring settings of a communicable electronic device, and prediction for predicting the amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired settings drawing means for drawing an image showing the predicted power consumption reduction amount and displaying the image on a display means; and setting transmission means for transmitting the acquired power consumption reduction setting to the electronic device. and an information terminal including;

(2) The information terminal according to (1), wherein the setting obtaining means obtains, as the setting, a start time and an end time of a low power consumption mode for reducing power consumption of the electronic device.

(3) In (2), the prediction means acquires a coefficient that is a coefficient corresponding to time and that indicates the efficiency of power consumption reduction, and obtains the coefficient that corresponds to the obtained time and the obtained start An information terminal that predicts a reduction in power consumption based on time and end time.

(4) In (1), the setting acquiring means acquires, as the setting, one or a plurality of functions to be stopped in a low power consumption mode for reducing power consumption of the electronic device, among a plurality of functions. .

(5) setting acquisition means for acquiring settings of a communicable electronic device, which are power consumption reduction settings input by a user; and prediction means for predicting the amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired settings. , drawing means for drawing an image showing the predicted power consumption reduction amount and displaying the image on a display means; and setting transmission means for transmitting the acquired power consumption reduction setting to the electronic device; A program that allows a computer to function as a

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a user can be made to recognize easily the effect of power consumption reduction by stopping the function of an electronic device.

1 is a diagram showing an example hardware configuration of a clock system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functions realized by the clock system; FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of processing of a smartphone; It is a figure which shows an example of a setting screen. It is a figure which shows another example of a setting screen. It is a figure which shows another example of a setting screen. It is a figure which shows another example of a setting screen. It is a figure which shows another example of a setting screen. It is a figure which shows another example of a setting screen. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of processing of a wristwatch that receives power consumption reduction settings. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of power saving control processing of a wristwatch; It is a figure which shows an example of the power saving setting screen according to the day of the week.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a clock system according to an embodiment of the invention. The clock system includes a smartphone 1 and a wristwatch 2. The smartphone 1 includes a processor 11 , a storage 12 , a display panel 14 , an input device 15 , a mobile communication section 131 , a wireless LAN communication section 132 and a near field communication section 133 . The smartphone 1 is one type of information terminal, and may be another type of terminal such as a tablet or a personal computer.

The processor 11 operates according to execution instructions of programs stored in the storage 12 . The processor 11 also controls the display panel 14 , the input device 15 , the mobile communication section 131 , the wireless LAN communication section 132 and the short-range communication section 133 . Note that the execution instructions of the above program may be provided via the Internet or the like, or may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a flash memory. .

The storage 12 is composed of memory elements such as DRAM and flash memory. The storage 12 stores execution instructions of the above programs. The storage 12 also stores information and calculation results input from the processor 11, the input device 15, and the like. Storage 12 may include a storage device such as a hard disk.

The display panel 14 is a type of display device that displays images, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL display panel. The display panel 14 is connected to a display controller (not shown) or GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), and displays an image based on instructions from the processor 11 .

The input device 15 includes, for example, at least part of a touch panel, a microphone, and a camera. Input device 15 may include an input/output interface such as a connector and an integrated circuit implementing a USB interface. An external input device such as a keyboard or mouse may be connected to the smartphone 1 via the input/output interface. Note that the smartphone 1 may include a speaker (not shown).

The mobile communication unit 131, the wireless LAN communication unit 132, and the short-range communication unit 133 each include a transmission/reception circuit and an antenna for realizing wireless communication with an external device. A mobile communication unit 131 communicates via a mobile communication network. The wireless LAN communication unit 132 communicates with an external device according to the wireless LAN standard. The short-range communication unit 133 communicates with an external device placed near the smartphone 1 according to a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (Near Field Communication), for example. Under the control of the processor 11, the mobile communication unit 131, the wireless LAN communication unit 132, and the short-range communication unit 133 each input information received from other devices to the processor 11 and the storage 12, and transmit information to the other devices. Send.

Wristwatch 2 includes microcomputer 21 , short-range communication section 233 , display section 24 , hand movement motor 241 , operation member 25 , biosensor 26 , and battery 29 . The wristwatch 2 is a so-called smartwatch, which is a type of electronic device.

The microcomputer 21 includes a processor, memory, and real-time clock 211, executes programs stored in the memory, inputs information from the operation member 25 and the like, and controls the hand movement motor 241, the short-range communication section 233 and the like. A real-time clock 211 keeps internal time. The display unit 24 is a pointer, and is driven by a hand movement motor 241 via the train wheel. The display unit 24 may be a display panel such as a liquid crystal display. The operating member 25 includes a button. The biosensor 26 includes at least a part of an acceleration sensor and a pulse sensor, and measures values used for determining whether the wristwatch 2 is worn, for example. As the battery 29, a primary battery, a secondary battery that stores electric power generated by a solar cell being exposed to light, or an electric power supplied from the outside can be used. .

In this embodiment, there are at least a normal mode and a power saving mode as operation modes of the wristwatch 2 . The normal mode is a mode in which functions that the user wants to use are in operation while wearing the wristwatch 2 . The power saving mode is a mode in which some of the functions of the wristwatch 2 operating in the normal mode are stopped in order to reduce power consumption. A method of setting the power saving mode of the wristwatch 2 from the smartphone 1 will be mainly described below.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functions realized by the clock system. The clock system functionally includes an operation reception unit 51 , a prediction unit 52 , a setting screen control unit 53 , a clock setting unit 54 , a log recording unit 55 , a power saving control unit 58 and a notification unit 59 . The operation reception unit 51, the prediction unit 52, the setting screen control unit 53, the clock setting unit 54, and the log recording unit 55 are stored in the storage 12 of the smartphone 1, and the processor 11 executes programs corresponding to their functions. It is realized by the processor 11 controlling any one of the display panel 14, the input device 15, and the short-range communication section 133 as necessary.

The setting screen control unit 53 causes the display device of the smartphone 1 to display a power saving mode setting screen. When another setting screen is displayed and a predetermined operation is performed, the setting screen control unit 53 may change the displayed screen to the power saving mode setting screen.

The operation reception unit 51 corresponds to setting acquisition means, and acquires an input operation from the user. The input operation from the user is the power consumption reduction setting input from the user, and includes the setting of the wristwatch 2 that can communicate with the smartphone 1 . The power consumption reduction setting includes at least one of the start time and end time of the power saving mode, and one or more functions to be stopped in the power saving mode among the plurality of functions.

The prediction unit 52 corresponds to prediction means, and predicts the amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired power consumption reduction settings. The prediction unit 52 acquires a coefficient that indicates the efficiency of power consumption reduction, which is a coefficient that corresponds to time, and calculates the power consumption based on the acquired coefficient that corresponds to time and the acquired start time and end time. can be predicted.

The setting screen control unit 53 corresponds to drawing means, draws an image showing the predicted power consumption reduction amount on the power saving mode setting screen, and causes the display means to display the image.

The clock setting unit 54 corresponds to a setting transmission unit, and transmits the acquired power consumption reduction setting to the wristwatch 2 .

The log recording unit 55 records a log of the operating status of the wristwatch 2 . The log recording unit 55 stores the transmission time of each notification transmitted from the smartphone 1 to the wristwatch 2 in the storage 12 as the operation status. The log recording unit 55 also collects the display period of the image for each time zone (for example, one hour) in the wristwatch 2, or the detection status of the user's viewing of the clock by the biosensor 26, which is highly correlated with the display period. Either of these may be recorded in the storage 12 .

The power saving control unit 58 and the notification unit 59 are implemented by the processor in the microcomputer 21 executing programs corresponding to the functions stored in the memory in the microcomputer 21 of the wristwatch 2 and controlling each unit.

When the power saving control unit 58 receives the setting for power consumption reduction, it registers the setting in the memory within the microcomputer 21 . The power saving control unit 58 also controls the wristwatch 2 to enter the power saving mode or return to the normal mode based on the registered power saving settings. In the power saving mode, some of the multiple functions of the wristwatch 2 (one or more target functions included in the registered power saving settings) are deactivated.

The notification unit 59 receives notification information transmitted from the system of the smartphone 1 and causes the display unit 24 or the like to display information based on the notification information.

Next, the smartphone 1 processing will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the smartphone 1. FIG. FIG. 3 mainly shows the processing for setting the power saving mode of the wristwatch 2 on the smartphone 1 . When the user performs some operation to switch to the power saving mode setting screen, the process shown in FIG. 3 is started.

First, the setting screen control unit 53 causes the display device to display a power saving mode setting screen (step S111). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen. FIG. 4 shows an example of display when the power saving setting is enabled for the wristwatch 2 .

On the setting screen shown in FIG. 4, a power saving switch 71, a start time 72 and an end time 73 of the power saving mode, and a power saving intensity 75 are drawn. The power saving changeover switch 71 is, for example, a toggle switch, and is a switch for setting whether or not to permit the wristwatch 2 to enter the power saving mode. When the power saving changeover switch 71 is off, the setting is sent to the wristwatch 2 and the watch does not enter the power saving mode. The start time 72 is the time when the wristwatch 2 shifts to the power saving mode, and the end time 73 is the time when the wristwatch 2 returns from the power saving mode to the normal mode. The power saving intensity 75 is an example of an image showing a predicted reduction in power consumption. The power saving intensity 75 graphically displays the expected reduction in power consumption by a string containing the number of stars and the length of the bar. In FIG. 4, the power saving intensity 75 is represented by the length of the filled bar and arrow, the number of stars, and the indication of "strong", "medium" or "weak".

Next, the operation accepting unit 51 accepts a user's operation (step S112). The operation reception unit 51 acquires, as a user input, for example, information indicating an operation on the touch panel in a state where the setting screen is displayed (for example, touched coordinates or a type of UI element existing in the touched area). You can

The operation accepting unit 51 determines whether the accepted operation is an operation indicating the end of the power saving setting (step S113). The operation indicating the end of setting corresponds to, for example, the operation of pressing "return" in FIG. If an operation indicating the end of setting has been performed (Y in step S113), the processing shown in FIG. 3 ends.

On the other hand, if the received operation is not an operation indicating the end of the power saving setting (N in step S113), the operation receiving unit 51 determines that the received operation is an operation of turning on the power saving switch 71, or It is determined whether the operation is for changing the power saving operation setting (step S114). The power saving operation setting may be, for example, at least part of the setting of the start time 72, the end time 73, and the setting of the power saving target function described later.

If the received operation is neither an operation to turn on the power saving switch 71 nor an operation to change the power saving operation setting (N in step S114), the operation accepting unit 51 turns off the power saving switch 71. The watch setting unit 54 determines that the operation to enable is performed, and transmits to the wristwatch 2 a setting indicating that the power saving mode of the wristwatch 2 is not to be used (step S115). Specifically, the clock setting unit 54 causes the short-range communication unit 133 to transmit information including a setting not to use the power saving mode to the wristwatch 2 . In the example of FIG. 3, since the power saving operation setting cannot be changed when the power saving changeover switch 71 is off, the power saving changeover switch 71 is turned off in the case of N in step S114. However, the operation reception unit 51 determines whether or not an operation to turn off the power saving changeover switch 71 has been performed, and if it is determined that an operation to turn off the power saving changeover switch 71 has been performed, step S115 may be performed.

On the other hand, if the received operation is an operation to turn on the power saving switch 71 or an operation to change the power saving operation setting (Y in step S114), the prediction unit 52 determines whether the current power saving The amount of power consumption reduction in the operation settings is predicted (step S116).

The prediction unit 52 may calculate the predicted reduction in power consumption as the ratio of the time during which the wristwatch 2 operates in the power saving mode to the maximum power saving mode period (e.g., 8 hours) per day. . In this case, for example, when the period from the start time 72 to the end time 73 of the power saving mode is 6 hours, 75% is calculated as the reduction amount.

In addition, the prediction unit 52 acquires a coefficient for each time period (for example, one hour) that indicates the magnitude of the power consumption reduction effect, The predicted power consumption reduction amount may be calculated by calculating the product of the coefficient and the product and summing the products calculated in each time period. Here, the coefficient may be a value determined in advance based on statistical data at the time of development and determined according to the time period. The prediction unit 52 may calculate the coefficient for each time period based on the log of the operation status stored in the storage 12 by the log recording unit 55 .

The prediction unit 52 may also predict the amount of reduction in power consumption based on functions targeted for power saving. For example, an effect constant is set in advance for each of the functions targeted for power saving, and the prediction unit 52 calculates the sum of the effect constants for each of the functions that are turned off in the power saving mode using the method described above. By multiplying the amount of reduction in power consumption obtained, the amount of reduction in power consumption corresponding to the function that is turned off in the power saving mode may be calculated. Also, set a coefficient for each time period for each function. The power consumption reduction amount may be calculated by summing the calculated products. The prediction unit 52 may calculate the sum of the amount of power consumption reduction for each function that is turned off as the total amount of power consumption reduction due to the power saving mode.

Then, the setting screen control unit 53 draws the predicted amount of reduction in power consumption (for example, power saving intensity 75) on the setting screen, and displays the setting screen on the display device (step S117). On the other hand, the clock setting unit 54 transmits the power consumption reduction setting to the wristwatch 2 (step S118). The power consumption reduction settings include settings for using the power saving mode and power saving operation settings. The clock setting unit 54 causes the short-range communication unit 133 to transmit the power saving setting to the wristwatch 2, for example.

The image of the predicted power consumption reduction amount displayed by the setting screen control unit 53 may be different from that shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the setting screen. In the example of FIG. 5, the setting screen control unit 53 determines the position of the pointer according to the predicted power consumption reduction amount as the power saving intensity 76, and graphically displays the position by drawing an image including the pointer. are doing.

The operation and display for setting the functions targeted for power saving will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the setting screen. In this example, in the target setting area 81 included in the setting screen, it is possible to select the functions of the wristwatch 2 that are disabled in the power saving mode. In this example, the operation reception unit 51 acquires that the user has touched the display of the function in the target setting area 81, and the operation reception unit 51 determines whether to turn on or off the touched function in the power saving mode. switch. The example of FIG. 6 shows that in the power saving mode, the notification function for incoming calls and messages and the BLE communication function are turned off, and the time display and alarm are not turned off.

The prediction unit 52 may calculate a predicted value of the duration of the battery as the amount of power consumption reduction. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the setting screen. In this example, the prediction unit 52 calculates the duration of the battery when the wristwatch 2 does not enter the power saving mode and the duration of the battery when the wristwatch 2 enters the power saving mode. in the duration area 77 of the settings screen.

As the amount of power consumption reduction, the amount of reduction for each day of the week may be drawn. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the setting screen. In this example, the operation accepting unit 51 acquires the start time 72 and the end time 73 of the power saving mode for each day of the week, and the prediction unit 52 calculates the power consumption reduction amount for each day of the week. Then, the setting screen control unit 53 may draw an image of the power saving intensity 78 including the reduction amount for each day of the week on the setting screen. Furthermore, the sum of the reduction amount for each day of the week may also be displayed in the image of the power saving intensity 78 on the setting screen. The power saving setting may be set by dividing the days of the week into several groups. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a power saving setting screen according to the day of the week. In the example of FIG. 12 , the operation reception unit 51 acquires the setting that the end times of the power saving mode are different between Monday to Friday (plan 1) and Saturday and Sunday (plan 2). Note that the power saving mode is not limited to being started once a day, and a plurality of power saving mode periods may be set in a day, such as late at night and a lunch break.

Also, the setting screen control unit 53 may graphically display the time period during which the power saving mode is operated. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the setting screen. In the example of FIG. 9, the setting screen control unit 53 graphically draws an image indicating the period of the power saving mode based on the start time 72 and the end time 73 in the power saving period area 79 of the setting screen.

The operation of the wristwatch 2 with respect to power saving settings will also be described. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of the processing of the wristwatch 2 that has received the power consumption reduction setting. The processing shown in FIG. 10 is executed when the smart phone 1 transmits a power consumption reduction setting and the wristwatch 2 receives it.

First, the power saving control unit 58 acquires the power consumption reduction setting transmitted from the smartphone 1 (step S211). Then, the power saving control unit 58 updates the setting of the power saving mode including the start time 72 and the end time 73 stored in the memory in the microcomputer 21, and starts power saving control processing (step S212). Although not shown, the power saving control unit 58 terminates power saving control processing when receiving a setting indicating that the power saving mode is not to be used.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of power saving control processing of the wristwatch 2 . This process starts at step S212 in FIG. First, the power saving control unit 58 waits until the start time 72 registered in the memory (step S221). At the start time 72, the power saving control unit 58 stops the functions to be stopped included in the setting of the power saving mode (step S222). Then, the power saving control unit 58 waits until the ending time 73 registered in the memory (step S223), and at the ending time 73, the power saving control unit 58 restarts the function to be stopped (step S224). Note that the process of FIG. 11 may be executed from step S221 immediately after the process of step S224.

By the operation of the smartphone 1 described so far, the wearer of the wristwatch 2 can easily check how much power consumption is reduced when setting the power saving mode. This allows the wearer to adjust the power saving settings more appropriately, and avoid problems caused by inappropriate power saving mode settings, for example.

Note that the configuration diagrams and the like shown in the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these, and can be arbitrarily changed as long as they satisfy the gist of the present invention.

1 smartphone, 2 wristwatch, 11 processor, 12 storage, 131 mobile communication unit, 132 wireless LAN communication unit, 133 near field communication unit, 14 display panel, 15 input device, 21 microcomputer, 211 real time clock, 233 near field communication unit, 24 display unit, 241 hand movement motor, 25 operation member, 26 biosensor, 29 battery, 51 operation reception unit, 52 prediction unit, 53 setting screen control unit, 54 clock setting unit, 55 log recording unit, 58 power saving control unit, 59 notification section, 71 power saving changeover switch, 72 start time, 73 end time, 75, 76, 78 power saving intensity, 81 target setting area, 77 duration area, 79 power saving period area.

Claims (5)

a setting acquisition means for acquiring power consumption reduction settings input by a user and for acquiring settings of a communicable electronic device;
prediction means for predicting a reduction in power consumption based on the acquired settings;
a drawing means for drawing an image showing the predicted amount of reduction in power consumption and displaying the image on a display means;
setting transmission means for transmitting the acquired power consumption reduction setting to the electronic device;
Information terminal including In the information terminal according to claim 1,
The setting acquisition means acquires, as the settings, a start time and an end time of a low power consumption mode for reducing power consumption of the electronic device.
Information terminal. In the information terminal according to claim 2,
The prediction means acquires a coefficient that is a coefficient corresponding to time and indicates efficiency of power consumption reduction, and based on the acquired coefficient according to time and the acquired start time and end time, predict power consumption savings,
Information terminal. In the information terminal according to claim 1,
The setting acquisition means acquires, as the setting, one or more functions to be stopped in a low power consumption mode for reducing power consumption of the electronic device, among a plurality of functions.
Information terminal. setting acquisition means for acquiring settings of a communicable electronic device, which are power consumption reduction settings input by a user;
prediction means for predicting a reduction in power consumption based on the obtained settings;
a drawing means for drawing an image showing the predicted amount of reduction in power consumption and displaying the image on a display means;
setting transmission means for transmitting the acquired power consumption reduction setting to the electronic device;
A program that allows a computer to function as a

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