JP2878064B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for processing an application program, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus for processing an application program.
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having a power control function of controlling a power mode between a run mode in which power is supplied to the entire system and a standby mode in which power is supplied only to a part of the system in order to suppress power consumption. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an information processing apparatus based on the prior art. The system includes a power control device 11 for controlling the power of the entire system, a keyboard input device 12 for converting a pressed state of a keyboard 15 into keyboard information, and a central processing unit 1 for controlling the operation of the system.
3. The storage device 14 stores data to be processed.

[0003] The conventional operation of this system is as follows. In the initial state, the system is in the sleep mode or the standby mode, and the power is not supplied to the central processing unit 13 and the storage device 14, and the entire system is in a low power consumption state. In this state, a signal corresponding to a key operation of the keyboard 15 is generated by the keyboard input device 12 and output to a signal line. When one of the keys on the keyboard 15 is operated by this signal, the power supply control unit 11 turns on the power to the central processing unit 13 and the storage device 14, and transfers the subsequent control of the system to the central processing unit 13, and To end.

The power of the system is turned on by depressing any key switch of the keyboard 15 in the above-described procedure.

The configuration of the information processing apparatus having the power control unit will be further described with reference to FIG. 2 in order to understand the system in more detail.

FIG. 2 shows a system configuration diagram of the prior art.
In the figure, 21 is a power supply, 22 is a power supply control device for controlling power-off and power-on of the system, 23 is a keyboard control device for controlling a keyboard, 24 is a keyboard device, 25 is a central processing unit, and 26 is a main memory. , 27 are display devices.

[0007] The power supply control device 22, the keyboard control device 23, the central processing unit 25, and the main memory 26 are interconnected by a system bus 28. Keyboard control unit 23, power supply control unit 22, and central processing unit 2
5 is connected by a keyboard interrupt control line 29, whereby the keyboard interrupt signal from the keyboard controller 23 is transmitted to the power supply controller 22 and the central processing unit 25.
It is possible to supply to. The power supply control device 22 and the central processing unit 25 are connected by a standby interrupt control line 30, whereby a standby interrupt signal from the power supply control device 22 can be supplied to the central processing unit 25.

The power supply control device 22 is a keyboard control device 2
A key input monitoring unit 221 for monitoring key inputs from
A power supply control unit 222 is provided for controlling powering on and off of the central processing unit 25 and the display device 27.

The keyboard controller 23 has a key code register 231 for storing a key code corresponding to a key on the keyboard 24.

On the keyboard device 24, N key groups 24-1 to N are provided, and 24-A is a standby key assigned to shift to the standby mode.

Reference numeral 251 denotes a register group in the central processing unit 255.

The main memory 26 has a register group storage area 261 for saving the contents of the register group 251 immediately before the transition to the standby mode, and a key code queue 262 for storing key code information. The main memory stores a plurality of programs, 263 is an application program arranged in the main memory 26 and processed by the central processing unit 25, and 264 is a standby interrupt process activated when a standby interrupt occurs. Program, 265
A restart processing program started first when the central processing unit 25 is turned on is a keyboard interruption processing program 266 started when a keyboard interruption occurs.

Next, a conventional power supply control device 22 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a conventional power supply control device. The power control unit 22 includes a key input monitoring unit 221 and a power control unit 222, and the key input monitoring unit 221
When a keyboard interrupt signal is not generated, a standby timer 2211 that is incremented at regular intervals is provided, and the power control unit 222 includes a power control register 2221 in which power control information is stored.

Hereinafter, the operation of the conventional system will be described based on the configuration shown in FIGS.

In the conventional system, power is always supplied to the power supply control device 22, the keyboard control device 23, and the main memory 26. The power of the central processing unit 25 and the display device 27 is supplied from a power supply line 31, and the power can be turned on and off by a power control device 22.

The system includes a power control unit 22, a keyboard control unit 23, a central processing unit 25, a main memory 26 and a run mode in which power is turned on to the display unit 27, a power supply control unit 22, a keyboard control unit 23, and a main memory 26. Is turned on, the central processing unit 25 and the display device 27 are turned on.
Has two types of power modes, a standby mode in which the power is not turned on.

The key input monitoring unit 221 monitors a keyboard interrupt signal, and if there is no key input for a certain period of time, sends a standby interrupt signal to the standby interrupt control line 30 and sends the standby interrupt signal to the central processing unit 25. Cause intrusion. The standby timer 2211 is an up counter that is incremented at a constant period T seconds, and is cleared to zero by a keyboard interrupt signal from the keyboard interrupt control line 29. That is, when a key input is performed, the standby timer 2211 is set to an initial value of zero. If no key input has occurred, the standby timer 2211 is incremented every T seconds. The key input monitoring unit 23 determines whether the value of the standby timer 2221 has exceeded a predetermined standby timeout value Sto, and determines whether the value of the standby timer 2211 is the standby timeout value Sto.
, That is, the standby timeout value St
If no keyboard interrupt signal is sent from the keyboard control device 23 for Sto × T seconds represented by the product of o and the cycle T seconds, a standby interrupt signal is sent to the standby interrupt control line 30.

The power control section 222 is provided with a power control register 22.
The power supply line 31 can be turned on or off in accordance with the value set in 21. That is, when the value “1” is stored in the power control register 2221, the power is supplied to the power supply line 31, the central processing unit 25 and the display device 27 are powered on, and the power mode is set to the run mode.
When the value “0” is stored in the power control register 2221, the power of the power supply line 31 is turned off, the power of the central processing unit 25 and the display device 27 is turned off, and the power mode is set to the standby mode. In addition, when the keyboard interrupt signal is input, the power supply control unit 222 operates in the power supply control register 2 by itself.
The value “1” is stored in 221. That is, in the case of the standby mode, it is possible to turn on the power to the central processing unit 25 and the display device 27 and shift to the run mode.

When the system is in the run mode and the central processing unit 25 is executing the application program 263, the user
When any one of the keys 24-1 to N except the standby key 24-A is pressed to operate the keyboard 3, the keyboard controller 23 presses the pressed key 24-M.
The key code information Qm in which “1” is set to the key code and key press information corresponding to
And sends a keyboard interrupt signal to the keyboard interrupt control line 29. When a keyboard interrupt signal is transmitted to the keyboard interrupt control line 29, a keyboard interrupt occurs in the central processing unit 25, and the keyboard interrupt processing program 266 is started.

FIG. 4 shows a keyboard interrupt processing program 2
66 shows the processing contents. The processing program is started by the keyboard interruption. In step S41, the central processing unit 25 fetches the key code information Qm from the key code register 231 and shifts the control to step S42. In step S42, it is determined from the key code of the key code information Qm whether the standby key 24-A has been pressed. In this case, since the user has pressed a key 24-M other than the standby key 24-A, control is passed to step S43.
Transfer to In step S43, the key code information Qm is stored in the key code queue 262, and the process returns from the keyboard interrupt processing program 266. The application program 263 extracts the key code information Qm stored by the keyboard interrupt processing program 264 from the key code queue 262 as necessary, and performs a process corresponding to the pressed key. As described above, the key input from the user can be input to the application program.

Next, the processing when the standby key is pressed in the run mode will be described.

When the system is in the run mode, the user presses the standby key 24 to enter the standby mode.
When -A is pressed, the keyboard control device 23 sets the key code corresponding to the pressed standby key 24-A and the key code information Qa in which the key press information is set to "1".
Is stored in the key code register 231 and a keyboard interrupt signal is transmitted to the keyboard interrupt control line 29. When a keyboard interrupt signal is sent to the keyboard interrupt control line 29, a keyboard interrupt occurs in the central processing unit 25,
The keyboard interrupt processing program 266 is started.

FIG. 4 shows a keyboard interrupt processing program 2
66 shows the processing contents. The program is started by a keyboard interrupt. In step S41, the central processing unit 2
5 is the key code information Qa from the key code register 231
And control is transferred to step S42. Step S
At 42, it is determined from the key code of the key code information Qa whether the standby key 24-A has been pressed. In this case, since the user has pressed the standby key 24-A, the control moves to step S44. In step S44, if the central processing unit 25 is turned on again after the power is turned off, the register group 251 necessary at the time of restarting the processing so that the processing immediately before the keyboard interrupt occurs can be restarted.
Is stored in the register group storage area 261 and the control moves to step S45. In step S45, the central processing unit 25 stores the power control information “0” in the power control register 2221 and ends the processing.

Since the power control information “0” is stored in the power control register 2221 by the central processing unit 25, the power control unit 22 turns off the power supply line 31 and turns off the power of the central processing unit 25 and the display device 27. Disconnect. As described above, it is possible to shift to the standby mode when the user presses the standby key 24-A.

Next, a description will be given of a process in the case where there is no key input for Sto × T seconds in the run mode.

When the system is in the run mode and Sto × T
The operation of the key input monitoring unit 221 when there is no key input for a second will be described. If no keyboard interrupt has occurred from the keyboard control device 23 for St × T seconds, the key input monitoring unit 221 sends a standby interrupt signal to the standby interrupt control line 30. By transmitting the standby interrupt signal to the standby interrupt control line 30, a standby interrupt occurs in the central processing unit 25, and the standby interrupt processing program 264 is started.

The processing contents of the standby interrupt processing program 264 will be described with reference to FIG. The program is started by the occurrence of the standby interrupt. In step S51, when the power is turned on again after the central processing unit 25 is turned off, the contents of the register group 251 necessary for restarting the processing are stored in the register group storage area so that the processing immediately before the occurrence of the standby interrupt can be restarted. 261 and control is transferred to step S52. In step S52, the central processing unit 25 stores the power control information “0” in the power control register 2221 and ends the processing.

Since the power control information "0" is stored in the power control register 2221 by the central processing unit 25, the power control unit 222 turns off the power supply line 31 and turns off the power of the central processing unit 25 and the display device 27. Disconnect. As described above, it is possible to automatically shift to the standby mode when the user does not perform a key input for a certain time Sto × T seconds.

Next, a process when an arbitrary key is input in the standby mode will be described.

When the system is in the standby mode and the user presses any key 24-K on the keyboard, the keyboard controller 23 causes the pressed key 24-K to be pressed.
The key code corresponding to the key code and the key code information Qk in which the key press information is set to “1” are stored in the key code register 231.
And sends a keyboard interrupt signal to the keyboard interrupt control line 29. The transmitted keyboard interrupt signal is transmitted to the power supply control device 22 via the keyboard interrupt signal control line 29.

The processing of the power control section 222 of the power control device 22 at this time will be described with reference to FIG. The keyboard interrupt signal input from the keyboard interrupt control line 29 is transmitted to the power supply control unit 222. When the keyboard interrupt signal is input, the power control unit 222 stores the value “1” in the power control register 2221 by itself. Power control register 22
Since the value “1” is stored in 21, the power control unit 222 turns on the power supply line 31 and turns on the central processing unit 25 and the display device 27. The central processing unit 25 powered on by the power control unit 222 first starts the restart processing program 265.

The processing contents of the restart processing program 265 will be described with reference to FIG. The program is started by turning on the power to the central processing unit 25. Step S61
In the central processing unit 25, the register group storage area 26
1 is stored in the register group 251 immediately before shifting to the standby mode saved in the register group 251.
To return to the processing of the application program 263 immediately before shifting to the standby mode.

Although the above has been described separately for each case, FIG. 7 summarizes the transition of the power supply mode in the conventional system.

In the figure, 41 is a run mode, and 42 is a standby mode. If the system is in standby mode 42,
The condition for shifting to the run mode 41 is any key input among the keys 24-1 to 24-N. When the system is in the run mode 41, the condition for shifting to the standby mode 42 is that no input of the standby key 24-A or key input occurs for more than St × T seconds.

As described above, a key input is input to the application program in the run mode, a transition is made to the standby mode by pressing the standby key in the run mode, and a constant is set in the run mode. If no key input occurs for a certain period of time, that is, if the user does not use the system for a certain period of time, the system automatically shifts to the standby mode, and shifts to the run mode by pressing any key on the keyboard in the standby mode It is possible to do.

By using the above method, by shifting to the run mode by pressing any key in the standby mode, it is possible to resume the process immediately before shifting to the standby mode, and to immediately stop the interrupted application program. Can be provided. If the user has not used the system for a certain period of time, it is possible to automatically shift from the run mode to the standby mode.

[0038]

However, in the conventional system, when the key switch is depressed by the user's unintended depression of the key switch, for example, when a heavy object is placed on the keyboard, the system power is turned off. There is a problem that the power is consumed and power is consumed even when not in use.

More specifically, when a heavy object is placed on the keyboard in the standby mode, the mode shifts to the run mode due to an unintended key input by the user. In addition, when a heavy object is placed on the keyboard in the run mode, the key input by the user
Even if the user has not used the system for a certain period of time, it will not be possible to automatically shift to the standby mode. In the case of a portable information processing apparatus, another portable object may come into contact with the keyboard while carrying the portable information processing apparatus, for example, in a bag or the like, and a key input not intended by the user may occur. There is. These problems are serious in that the system shifts to the run mode even though the user does not intend to use the device, which wastes power and shortens the battery life in a battery-powered information processing device. Cause problems.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus which can solve such a drawback and eliminate power consumption when the user does not intend to use the information processing apparatus.

[0041]

According to the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus for controlling power-on of a system according to the presence or absence of an input from an input device, wherein the same input is provided for a predetermined time. An information processing apparatus comprising: means for detecting a state of being continuously depressed; and means for restricting a system power-on condition to a specific input condition when the state is detected by the means. Achieved by the device.

[0042]

The above object is also an information processing apparatus having a run mode in which power is supplied to the entire system, and a standby mode in which power is supplied to a part of the system, and performing processing of an application program. Detecting means for detecting a state in which the same key on the keyboard is continuously pressed for a predetermined period of time; and when the state is detected by the detecting means in a standby mode, a condition for transition to the run mode is specified. The present invention is also achieved by an information processing apparatus having means for restricting to key input.

[0044]

[0045]

According to the present invention, the information processing apparatus for controlling the power-on of the system according to the presence / absence of the operation of the data key confirms the presence / absence of a continuous input when there is a key operation signal, and determines the specific key operation signal when the operation is a continuous key operation Power on the system only when

The key input that occurs when a heavy object is placed on the keyboard or when another portable object contacts the keyboard while carrying the key is characterized in that the same key is continuously input for a certain period of time or more. is there. Therefore, a means for monitoring that the same key input has been continuously generated for a certain time or more is provided. If the same key input is continuously generated for a certain time or more, the key input is determined to be an unintended key input by the user. By shifting to an appropriate mode, wasteful power consumption can be prevented.

[0047] Therefore, in the same key input monitor unit in the power supply control device in the present invention, detects that the predetermined time or more key input is continuously generated, continuously key input for a certain time in standby mode If the key input is not intended by the user, the transition condition to the run mode is restricted from any key input to a specific key input without shifting to the run mode. prevent.

[0048]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 shows a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the information processing apparatus of the present invention. The system includes a power supply control device 51 for controlling a power supply (not shown) of the entire system, a keyboard input device 52 for converting a pressed state of a key switch into keyboard information, a central processing unit 53 for controlling the operation of the system, and processing data. Is stored in the storage device 54 for storing

A central processing unit 53, a storage device 54, a power supply control device 51, and a keyboard input device 52 are provided between these devices.
A control line 58 connects between them, and a signal line 59 connects between the keyboard input device 52 and the keyboard 55.

The power supply control device 51 has a microcomputer (MPU) 510. The MPU 510 has a key code storage register (hereinafter referred to as "K register") and a counter (hereinafter referred to as "K register") for measuring the time between pressings when the same key is pressed. This is a so-called one-chip MPU including a “C counter”. This MPU controls the operation of the flowchart shown in FIG. The keyboard input device 52 is a device that converts a key switch press signal input from the keyboard 55 into keyboard information 60 shown in FIG. The keyboard has N key switch groups 55-1 to 55 -N, and outputs a key switch pressing signal to the keyboard input device 52.

FIG. 9 shows a data structure of the keyboard information 60 converted by the keyboard input device 52. The data is composed of key switch pressing information 611 and key code information 6.
12. Key switch press information 611
Has a value of “0” when none of the keys of the key switch groups 55-1 to 55 -N are pressed, and one or more key switches of the key switch groups 55-1 to 55 -N are pressed. It has a value of "1" when it is done. The key code information 612 is identification information of the key switch groups 55-1 to 55-N, and stores a code corresponding to the code number of the pressed key switch. Therefore, the keyboard information in which the signs of the plurality of key code information 612 obtained separately are the same is due to the operation of the same key, and if they do not match, it is due to different key operations.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the power supply control device 51 shown in FIG. 8, and this control operation is executed by the MPU 510 of the power supply control device 51 as described above. In the start state, power is not supplied to the central processing unit 53 and the storage device 54, and the entire system is in a sleep mode in which power consumption is low. In step S1, the MPU in the power supply control device 51 initializes the K register 511 and the C counter 512 to “0”, so-called initialization. In step S2, the power supply control device 51 fetches the keyboard information Q1 from the keyboard input device 52. The data structure of the keyboard information Q1 is shown in FIG. In step S3, it is determined whether the value of the key switch press information 611 is "1". If the value of the key switch pressing information 611 is "0", since no key switch has been pressed, the control is shifted to step S2 and the keyboard information Q1 is fetched again.

The value of the key switch press information 611 is "1"
In the case of, any one of the key switches 55-1 to 55 -N has been pressed, and the process proceeds to step S <b> 4. In step S4, the value of the key code information 612 in the keyboard information Q1 fetched in step S2 is
1 is stored in the K register 511. In step S5, the power supply control device 51 re-enters the keyboard input device 52
The keyboard information Q2 is taken in. In step S6, it is determined whether the value of the key switch press information 611 of the keyboard information Q2 fetched in step S5 is "0" or "1". Key switch press information 6
If the value of 11 is "0", the key switch that has been pressed is released at the time of step S5, the keyboard information Q1 is considered to be due to the key press intended by the user, and the step is referred to as the power-on processing step. S13 and S14
Transfer to

The value of the key switch press information 611 of the keyboard information Q2 taken in step S5 is "1".
In the case of, the process moves to the step S7. In step S7, the value of the key code information 612 of the keyboard information Q1 stored in the K register 511 in step S4 is compared with the value of the key code information 612 in the keyboard information Q2 fetched in step S5. Is determined. Key code information 612 for Q1 and Q2
Do not match (Q1 ≠ Q2), the key switch pressed in step S2 is different from the key switch pressed in step S5, and it is considered that the key is pressed by the user. And S14
Transfer to

The value of the K register 511 and the key code information 6
If the signs of 12 match (Q1 = Q2), step S
The key switch pressed in 2 and the key switch pressed in step S5 are the same, and it is assumed that the same key is kept pressed, and the process proceeds to step S8 and subsequent steps. In step S8, the value of the C counter 512 is incremented. In step S9, the value of the C counter 512 is compared with a predetermined time limit P to determine whether the value of the C counter 512 exceeds the time limit P. If the value of the C counter 512 does not exceed the time limit P, the process returns to step S5, and the keyboard information Q2 is fetched again from the keyboard input device 52. When the keyboard information 60 satisfies the condition Q1 = Q2, the loop processing of steps S5 to S9 is repeated until the condition C ≧ P is satisfied.

If it is determined in step S9 that the value of the C counter 512 has exceeded the limit value P, it is assumed that the user has pressed the key unintentionally, and the process proceeds to the specific key processing steps of S10 to S12. In step S10, the power supply control device 51 fetches the keyboard information Q3 from the keyboard input device 52. In step S11, the value of the key switch press information 611 in the keyboard information Q3 is "0".
Or “1”. If the value of the key switch pressing information 611 is “0”, the key switch has not been pressed, so the process shifts the process to step S10,
The keyboard information Q3 is fetched again from the keyboard input device. If the value of the key switch press information 611 is “1”, the process proceeds to Step S12. In step S12, the keyboard information Q3 fetched in step S10
Then, the value of the key code information 612 is compared with the value of the predetermined specific key code to determine whether or not the specific key is pressed. If the code of the key code information 612 does not match the code of the specific key code, the process returns to step S10 because the specific key has not been depressed, and the keyboard information Q3 is fetched again from the keyboard input device 52. When the code of the key code information 612 matches the code of the specific key code, the process is shifted to the power-on process of steps S13 and S14 because the specific key has been pressed. In step S13, the power supply control device 51 turns on the power to the central processing unit 53 and the storage device 54.
In step S14, the power supply control device 51 transfers control to the central processing unit 53, and ends the processing process.

The above operation is performed by the keyboard information Q1, Q2.
, Q3, the time limit P, etc., can be classified as follows.

Case 1: When a different key operation is performed within the time limit P. Since keyboard information Q1 ≠ Q2, the process goes from step S7 to steps S13 and S14, and the information processing apparatus is immediately turned on.

Case 2: Different keys are operated after the same key is operated within the time limit P. The processing path is the same as in case 1, but the power of the information processing apparatus is turned on after a different key operation.

Case 3: A specific key is operated after operating the same key for a time limit P or more. Keyboard information is Q1 = Q
2, Q3 = specific key, the power of the information processing apparatus is turned on through steps S10 to S13 and S14.

Case 4: When the same key is continuously operated for a time limit P or more. Since the keyboard information is Q1 = Q2 = Q3, steps S10, S11 and S12 cannot be escaped, and the power of the information processing apparatus is not turned on.

The time limit P of the C counter for changing the system power-on condition and the specific key of the power-on process in step S13 are determined in consideration of the performance of the entire system, the form of use of the system, and the like. The specific key is
For example, if the switch is limited to a switch with a cover or a switch provided on the side of the keyboard 55, it is easy to prevent the occurrence of an erroneous power input.

As described above, when the same number of times of the same continuous key press exceeds the time limit, the system power-on condition can be limited to a specific key press.

By using the present invention, the system power supply is not turned on by the user's unintended depression of the key switch, so that power consumption when not in use can be eliminated. In particular, in an information processing apparatus driven by a battery, a great effect of increasing the battery life is obtained by eliminating power consumption when not in use.

In this embodiment, a keyboard is used as an input device. However, another input device such as a communication input / output device may be used.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail.

FIG. 11 shows a system configuration diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 71 denotes a power supply, 72 denotes a power supply control device for restricting power-off and power-on of the system, 73 denotes a keyboard control device for controlling a keyboard, 74
Denotes a keyboard device, 75 denotes a central processing unit, 76 denotes a main memory, and 77 denotes a display device.

Power supply control device 72, keyboard control device 7
3. The central processing unit 75 and the main memory 76 are interconnected by a system bus 78. The keyboard control unit 73 is connected to the power supply control unit 72 and the central processing unit 75 by a keyboard interrupt control line 79, so that a keyboard interrupt signal from the keyboard control unit 73 is transmitted to the power supply control unit 72 and the central processing unit 75. It is possible to supply to. The power supply control device 72 and the central processing unit 75 are connected by a standby interrupt control line 80, so that a standby interrupt signal from the power supply control device 72 can be supplied to the central processing unit 75.

The power supply control device 72 is the keyboard control device 7
A key input monitoring unit 721 for monitoring a key input from
A power supply control unit 722 for controlling the power-off and power-on of the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77, and the same key input for detecting that the same key input from the keyboard device 79 has been continuously generated for a predetermined time or more. Monitoring unit 723
And

The keyboard controller 73 has a key code register 731 for storing a key code corresponding to a key on the keyboard 74.

On the keyboard device 74, N key groups 74-1 to 7-N are provided, 74-A is a standby key assigned for shifting to the standby mode, and 74-B is for the standby mode. If the same key input occurs continuously for a certain period of time and the transition condition to the run mode is restricted from pressing any key to pressing a specific key,
This is a specific key assigned to shift to the run mode.

The central processing unit 75 includes a register group 751 for executing an application program.

The main memory 76 has a register group storage area 761 for saving the contents of the register group 751 immediately before shifting to the standby mode, and a key code queue 762 for storing key code information. The main memory 76 stores a plurality of programs.
Application programs processed by 5, 7
Reference numeral 64 denotes a standby interrupt processing program started when a standby interrupt occurs, 765 denotes a restart processing program started first when the central processing unit 75 is turned on, and 766 denotes a keyboard interrupt program. This is a keyboard interrupt processing program to be started.

Next, referring to FIG.
Will be described.

FIG. 12 shows a power supply control device 72 according to the present invention.
Is shown. The power control unit 72 includes a key input monitoring unit 721 for monitoring a key input from the keyboard control unit 73 and a power control unit 722 for controlling turning off and on of the power of the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77.
And the same key input monitoring unit 723 for detecting that the same key input from the keyboard device 73 has been continuously generated for a certain period of time or more. The same key input monitoring unit 723, the key input monitoring unit 721, and the power control The unit 722 is connected by a keyboard activity signal line 724, and when the same key input monitoring unit 723 monitors the key input, if the generated key input is not a continuous same key input for a certain period of time or more, it is transmitted. It is possible to supply a keyboard activity signal to the key input monitoring unit 721 and the power supply control unit 722.

The key input monitoring section 721 is provided with a standby timer 7211 which is incremented at regular intervals when no keyboard activity signal is generated.

The power control section 722 is provided with a power control register 7211 for storing power control information.

The same key input monitoring unit 723 has a key code information storage register 7231 for storing key code information for determining continuous same key input, and determines that the same key input has continued for a predetermined time or more. Same key input counter 7232 is provided.

FIG. 13 shows power control information stored in the power control register 7221. Reference numeral 85 denotes mode information, in which a value of "1" is stored when the power mode of the system is the run mode, and a value of "0" is stored when the power mode of the system is the standby mode.

Next, the operation of the system of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
12 will be described.

In this system, the power supply control device 72,
The keyboard controller 73 and the main memory 76 are always powered on. The power of the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77 is supplied from a power supply line 81, and the power can be turned on and off by a power control device 72. The system includes a power supply control device 72, a keyboard control device 73, a central processing unit 75, a main memory 76, and a display device 7.
7 and the power control device 7
2. The keyboard control device 73 and the main memory 76 are powered on, but the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77 have two power supply modes, a standby mode in which the power is not turned on. .

The key input monitoring unit 721 monitors a keyboard activity signal sent to the keyboard activity signal line 724, and when there is no key input for a certain period of time,
A standby interrupt is generated for the central processing unit 75. The standby timer 7211 is an up counter that is incremented at a constant cycle T seconds, and is cleared to zero by a keyboard activity signal from a keyboard activity signal line 724. That is, when a key input is performed, the standby timer 7211 is set to an initial value of zero. If no key input has occurred, the standby timer 7211 is incremented every T seconds. The key input monitoring unit 721 includes a standby timer 721
It is determined whether or not the value of 1 exceeds a predetermined standby timeout value Sto. If the value of the standby timer 7211 exceeds the standby timeout value Sto, that is, Sto represented by the product of the standby timeout value Sto and the cycle T seconds. If no keyboard activity signal is sent from the same key input monitoring unit 7231 for × T seconds, a standby interrupt signal is sent to the standby interrupt control line 80.

The power supply control unit 722 includes a power supply control register 72
It is possible to turn on or off the power supply line 81 according to the value set in 21. That is, when the value “1” is stored in the power control register 7221, the power is supplied to the power supply line 81, the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77 are powered on, and the power mode is set to the run mode.
When the value “0” is stored in the power control register 7221, the power of the power supply line 81 is turned off, the power of the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77 is turned off, and the power mode is set to the standby mode. When the keyboard activity signal is input, the power control unit 722 stores the value “1” in the power control register 7221 by itself. That is, in the case of the standby mode, it is possible to turn on the power to the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77 and shift to the run mode.

The process of the same key input monitoring unit 723 is started when a keyboard interrupt is sent to the keyboard interrupt signal line 79, that is, when a key input occurs. The processing of the same key input monitoring unit 723 will be described with reference to FIG. The processing started by the key input is as follows. First, in step S21, the key code information storage register 7231
And the same key input counter 7232 is cleared to zero and initialized, and the control moves to step S22. Step S2
2, the key code information Q1 is fetched from the key code register 731 and the key code information storage register 723 is acquired.
1 and control is transferred to step S23. Step S
At 23, the key code information Q2 is fetched from the key code register 731 and the control moves to step S24.
In step S24, the key press information of the key code information Q2 is referred to. If the key is pressed, the control proceeds to step S25. If the key is not pressed, that is, it is determined that the previously input key is released. Then, the control is moved to the step S33 for transmitting the keyboard activity signal. If the key press information is 1 at step S24
In step S25, the key code information Q1 stored in the key code information storage
And the key code information Q2 captured in step S23
Compare. If the key code information Q1 and Q2 are equal, that is, if the same key as the key input for activating this processing is pressed, the control proceeds to step S26. If the key code information Q1 and Q2 are not equal, that is, if a key different from the key input for activating this processing is pressed, the control is shifted to step S33 to transmit a keyboard activity signal.
If the key code information Q1 and Q2 are equal in step S25, the same key input counter 7232 is incremented in step S26, and the control shifts to S27. In step S27, the same key input counter 7
The value “C” of H.232 is compared with the same key continuous input restriction value “P” set in advance, and if C ≧ P, the control proceeds to step S28. If C <P, control is passed to step S23
Transfer to In step S23, the key code information Q2 is fetched again from the key code register 731 and compared with the key code information Q1 stored in the key code information register 7231, and the key press information is "0" or the key code information Q1 @ Q2 or the same. Key input counter 7232
Steps S23 to S2 until the value of
The processing up to 7 is repeated. Assuming that the time required to process steps S23 to S27 is Ts seconds, if the same key is continuously input, steps S23 to S
The processing up to 27 is repeated.

If the same key has been input continuously for Ts × P seconds or more, the control moves to step S28. Step S2
At 8, the power supply control register 7221 is fetched to know the current power supply mode, and the control moves to step S29. In step S29, the current power mode is determined from the value of the power control register 7221 fetched in step S28.
The control is shifted to 0, if it is the run mode, the control is shifted to step S34. If the current power mode is the run mode, a standby interrupt signal is sent to the central processing unit 75 in step S34. If the current power supply mode is the standby mode, the key code information Q3 is further fetched from the key code register 731 in step S30, and the control proceeds to step S31. In step S31, it is determined whether or not the key is pressed by referring to the key press information of the key code information Q3. If the key has been pressed, the control proceeds to step S32, and if the key has not been pressed, the control proceeds to step S30. If the key has not been pressed, the key code information Q3 is fetched again from the key code register 731 in step S30, and the control proceeds to step S31. Until any key is pressed, the processing of steps S30 to S31 is repeated. If any key is pressed, in step S32,
It is determined whether the key code information Q3 matches the key code information of the specific key 74-B. If the key code information does not match the key code information of the specific key 74-B, the control shifts to step S30. If the key code information matches the specific key 74-B, the control shifts to step S33 to transmit a keyboard activity signal. The processes in steps S30 to S32 are repeated until the specific key 74-B is pressed. Specific key 7
If 4-B is pressed, a keyboard activity signal is transmitted to the key input monitoring unit 721 and the power control unit 722 via the keyboard activity signal line 724 in step S33.

When the system is in the run mode and the central processing unit 75 is executing the application program 763, the user
When any key 74-M other than the standby key 74-A among the keys 74-1 to 74-N is pressed to operate the keyboard 3, the keyboard control device 73 causes the pressed key 74-M to be pressed.
The key code information Qm in which “1” is set to the key code and key press information corresponding to
And sends a keyboard interrupt signal to the keyboard interrupt control line 79. When a keyboard interrupt signal is sent to the keyboard interrupt control line 79, a keyboard interrupt occurs in the central processing unit 75, and the keyboard interrupt processing program 766 is activated. The board interrupt processing at this time will be described with reference to FIG. 4 showing the processing contents of the interrupt processing program 766.

When the interrupt processing program is started by a keyboard interrupt, the central processing unit 75 reads the key code information Q from the key code register 731 in step S41.
Then, control is passed to step S42. In step S42, it is determined from the key code of the key code information Qm whether the standby key 74-A has been pressed. In this case, since the user has pressed any key 74-M other than the standby key 74-A, the control moves to step S43. In step S43, the key code information Qm is stored in the key code queue 762, and the process returns from the keyboard interrupt processing program 764. The application program 763 extracts the key code information Qm stored by the keyboard interrupt processing program 764 from the key code queue 762 as necessary, and performs a process corresponding to the pressed key. As described above, the key input from the user can be input to the application program.

When the system is in the run mode, the user presses the standby key 74 to shift to the standby mode.
When -A is pressed, the keyboard control device 73 sets the key code corresponding to the pressed standby key 74-A and the key code information Qa in which the key press information is set to "1".
Is stored in the key code register 731, and a keyboard interrupt signal is transmitted to the keyboard interrupt control line 79. When a keyboard interrupt signal is sent to the keyboard interrupt control line 79, a keyboard interrupt occurs in the central processing unit 75,
The keyboard interrupt processing program 766 is activated. The keyboard interruption process at this time will be described with reference to FIG.
Interrupt processing program 7 started by keyboard interrupt
66 transfers control to step S41. Step S41
In the central processing unit 75, the key code register 731
Key code information Qa is taken from
Move to 42. In step S42, the key code information Q
It is determined whether or not the standby key 74-A has been pressed from the key code of a. In this case, since the user has pressed the standby key 74-A, the control moves to step S44. If the central processing unit 75 is turned on again after the power is turned off in step S44, the contents of the register group 751 necessary for restarting the processing are stored in the register group storage area so that the processing immediately before the keyboard interrupt occurs can be restarted. 7
The control is transferred to step S45. In step S45, the central processing unit 75 sets the power control register 7
The power control information “0” is stored in 221 and the process ends.
Since the power control information “0” is stored in the power control register 7221 by the central processing unit 75, the power control unit 722
Turns off the power supply line 81, and turns off the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77. As described above, the user can shift to the standby mode by pressing the standby key 74-A.

Next, a description will be given of a process in the case where there is no key input for Sto × T seconds in the run mode.

When the system is in the run mode and Sto × T
If there is no key input for two seconds, a keyboard interrupt signal is not generated for Sto × T seconds, and the same key input monitoring unit 723 does not send a keyboard activity signal for Sto × T seconds. A standby interrupt signal is sent to 80. By transmitting the standby interrupt signal to the standby interrupt control line 80, a standby interrupt occurs in the central processing unit 75, and the standby interrupt processing program 764 is activated. The processing contents of the standby interrupt processing at this time will be described with reference to FIG. The standby interrupt processing program started by the occurrence of the standby interrupt is designed so that when the central processing unit 75 is turned on again after the power is turned off in step S51, the process immediately before the standby interrupt occurs can be restarted. The contents of the register group 751 necessary for resuming the processing are stored in the register group storage area 761, and control is passed to step S52.
Transfer to In step S52, the central processing unit 75 stores the power control information “0” in the power control register 7221 and ends the processing. Since the power control information “0” is stored in the power control register 7221 by the central processing unit 75,
The power control unit 722 turns off the power of the power supply line 81 and turns off the power of the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77.
As described above, in the run mode for a certain time Sto
If no key input is performed for × T seconds, it is possible to automatically shift to the standby mode.

Next, a process when an arbitrary key is input in the standby mode will be described.

When the system is in the standby mode and any key 74-K on the keyboard is depressed and released within Ts × P seconds, or any key 74-K on the keyboard
When K is pressed and any key 74-L other than the key 74-K is pressed within Ts × P seconds, the keyboard controller 73 sets the key code and key press information “1” corresponding to the pressed key 74-K. Is stored in the key code register 731 and the keyboard interrupt control line 7
9 to send a keyboard interrupt signal. The transmitted keyboard interrupt signal is transmitted to the same key input monitoring unit 723 of the power supply control device 72 via the keyboard interrupt control line 80,
The processing of the same key input monitoring unit 723 is started. Thereafter, when any key 74-K is released, the keyboard control device 73 stores the value of the key press information "0". When any key 74-L other than the key 74-K is pressed, the corresponding key code and key code information Q1 in which key press information is set to "1" are stored. The process of the same key input monitoring unit 763 is started. The same key input monitoring unit 763 performs the processing of steps S21 to S23. If any key 74-K on the keyboard is pressed and released within Ts × P seconds, the loop of steps S23 to S27 is exited in step S24, and control is transferred to step S33.
When any key 74-K on the keyboard is pressed and any key 74-L other than the key 74-K is pressed within Ts × P seconds, the loop of steps S23 to S27 is performed in step S2.
At 5, the control is transferred to step S33. In step S33, the same key input monitoring unit 723 sends the keyboard activity signal to the keyboard activity signal line 72.
4 and the process ends. The keyboard activity signal input from the keyboard activity signal line 724 is transmitted to the power control unit 722. Power control unit 7
22 stores the value “1” in the power control register 7221 by itself when the keyboard activity signal is input. Since the value “1” is stored in the power control register 7221, the power control unit 722 turns on the power supply line 81 and turns on the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77. The central processing unit 75 turned on by the power supply control unit 722 first starts the restart processing program 765. The restart process at this time will be described with reference to FIG. Restart processing is started by turning on the power to the central processing unit 75. First, in step S41, the central processing unit 75 restores the contents of the saved register group 751 to the register group 751 immediately before shifting to the standby mode saved in the register group storage area 761 and immediately before shifting to the standby mode. The processing returns to the processing of the application program 763. As described above, in the standby mode, when any key 74-K on the keyboard is pressed and released within Ts × P seconds, or when any key 1-74-K on the keyboard is pressed and Ts ×
If any key 74-L other than the key 74-K is pressed within P seconds, the power of the entire system is turned on, and the processing of the interrupted application program can be resumed.

Next, a description will be given of a process when the same key is continuously input for Ts × P seconds in the standby mode.

When the system is in the standby mode and an arbitrary key 74-K on the keyboard is pressed and held down for at least Ts × P seconds. The keyboard control device 73 stores the key code corresponding to the pressed key 74-K and the key code information Qk in which the key press information “1” is set in the key code register 731 and the keyboard interrupt control line 79 for the keyboard interrupt. Send a signal. The transmitted keyboard interrupt signal is sent to the same key input monitoring unit 723 of the power control device 72.
To start the process of the same key input monitoring unit 723. The processing of the same key input monitoring unit 723 is performed in step S21.
To S23. Any key 74 on the keyboard
Since −K is kept pressed for Ts × P seconds or more, the loop of steps S23 to S27 escapes in step S27,
Control is transferred to step S28. Since the current power mode is the standby mode, the process proceeds to step S30 in steps S28 to S29. Unless the specific key 74-B is pressed, the processing of steps S30 to S32 is repeated. When the specific key 74-B is pressed,
In step S32, control is transferred to step S33. In step S33, same key input monitoring section 723 sends a keyboard activity signal to keyboard activity signal line 724, and the process ends. The keyboard activity signal input from the keyboard activity signal line 724 is transmitted to the power control unit 722. When the keyboard activity signal is input, the power control unit 722 stores the value “1” in the power control register 7221 by itself. Since the value “1” is stored in the power control register 7221, the power control unit 722 turns on the power supply line 81 and turns on the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77. The central processing unit 75 turned on by the power supply control unit 722 first starts the restart processing program 765.
Start The contents of the restart process at this time will be described with reference to FIG. The processing is started by turning on the power to the central processing unit 75. First, in step S41, the central processing unit 75 restores the contents of the saved register group 751 to the register group 751 immediately before shifting to the standby mode saved in the register group storage area 761,
The process returns to the process of the application program 763 immediately before shifting to the standby mode. As mentioned above,
If any key 74-K on the keyboard is kept pressed for more than Ts × P seconds, the condition for shifting to the run mode is determined by the specific key 7
4-B can be limited.

Next, the process when the same key is input continuously for Ts × P seconds in the run mode will be described.

When the system is in the run mode and an arbitrary key 74-K on the keyboard is pressed and held down for at least Ts × P seconds, the keyboard control unit 73 causes the pressed key 7 to be pressed.
The key code corresponding to 4-K and the key code information Qk in which the key press information is set to “1” are stored in the key code register 731, and a keyboard interrupt signal is transmitted to the keyboard interrupt control line 79. The transmitted keyboard interrupt signal is transmitted to the same key input monitoring unit 723 of the power supply control device 72, and starts the processing of the same key input monitoring unit 723. The same key monitoring unit 723 performs steps S21 to S21.
Step 23 is performed. Any key 74-K on keyboard
Has been pressed for Ts × P seconds or more, so that step S2
The loop from 3 to S27 is escaped in step S27, and the control moves to step S28. Since the current power mode is the run mode, the process proceeds to step S34 in steps S28 to S29. In step S34, a standby interrupt signal is transmitted to the standby interrupt signal line 80. By transmitting the standby interrupt signal to the standby interrupt control line 80, a standby interrupt occurs in the central processing unit 75, and the standby interrupt processing program 764 is activated. The contents of the standby interrupt processing at this time will be described with reference to FIG. When the standby interrupt processing program is started due to the occurrence of the standby interrupt, first, at step S51
In this case, when the central processing unit 75 is turned on again after the power is turned off, the register group 7 necessary at the time of restarting the processing so that the processing immediately before the occurrence of the standby interrupt can be restarted.
51 is stored in the register group storage area 761, and the control moves to step S52. In step S52, the central processing unit 75 stores the power control information “0” in the power control register 7221 and ends the processing. Since the power control information “0” is stored in the power control register 7221 by the central processing unit 75, the power control unit 722 turns off the power of the power supply line 81 and turns off the power of the central processing unit 75 and the display device 77. As described above, when any key 74-K on the keyboard is kept depressed for Ts × P seconds or more in the run mode, it is possible to automatically shift to the standby mode.

Although the above description has been made in each case separately, FIG. 1 shows how the power supply mode changes.
FIG. 6 is a state transition diagram of a power supply mode shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 91 denotes a run mode, 92 denotes a standby mode A, and 93 denotes a standby mode B. The standby mode A is a standby mode in which any key input is monitored, and the standby mode is a standby mode in which only a specific key input is monitored. When the system is in the standby mode A92, the condition for shifting to the run mode 91 is any key input among the keys 74-1 to 74-N. When the system is in the standby mode A92, the condition for shifting to the standby mode B93 is a continuous input of the same key for at least Ts × P seconds. When the system is in the standby mode B93, the condition for shifting to the run mode 91 is an input of the specific key 74-B. When the system is in the run mode 91, the condition for shifting to the standby mode A92 is input of the standby key 74-A or St.
No key input for more than oxT seconds or Tsx
The same key input for P seconds or more.

As described above, the key input from the user is input to the application program in the run mode, and the standby mode is shifted by pressing the standby key in the run mode. If no key input occurs for a certain period of time, that is, if the user does not use this system for a certain period of time, the system automatically shifts to the standby mode. If the same key input occurs for a certain period of time in standby mode, the condition for shifting to run mode must be restricted to a specific key, and the same key input occurs for a certain period of time in run mode. In this case, it is possible to automatically shift to the standby mode.

By using the above-described method, by shifting to the run mode by pressing any key in the standby mode, it is possible to resume the process immediately before shifting to the standby mode, and to immediately stop the interrupted application program. Can be provided.

When the user has not used the system for a certain period of time, the system automatically shifts from the run mode to the standby mode, so that the battery life of the battery-powered information processing apparatus can be extended. Become.

Further, in the run mode, when a heavy object is placed on the keyboard or when the same key is continuously input for a certain period of time due to the contact of the keyboard with another portable object while carrying, the standby mode is set. In the standby mode, when a heavy object is placed on the keyboard or when the same key is continuously input for a certain period of time due to the contact of the keyboard with another portable object while carrying, By limiting the condition for shifting to the run mode to a specific key input, it is possible to avoid inadvertently shifting to the run mode due to an unintended key input by the user.

As a result, wasteful power consumption can be prevented, and the battery life can be further extended in a battery-driven information processing apparatus.

[0103]

As described above in detail, the information processing apparatus according to the first aspect is provided with a counting means for measuring the pressing time when the same key is continuously pressed, and the measuring time is determined in advance. When the specified time limit is exceeded, the system power-on condition is switched from "arbitrary key input" to "specific key input" to prevent the system power from being turned on by the user's unintended key switch press. This can be prevented. Thereby, the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 suppresses power consumption when not in use,
Particularly in a battery-driven information processing apparatus, a great effect of increasing the battery life is produced.

[0104]

[0105] Further, the information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the state detecting means for detecting a state in which the same key on the keyboard is pressed continuously for a predetermined period of time, by the detecting means at a standby mode Is detected, a means for restricting the transition condition to the run mode to a specific key input is provided, so that when a heavy object is placed on the keyboard in the standby mode and when another portable object is carried while carrying. When the same key is continuously input for a certain period of time due to touching the keyboard, the transition to the run mode is inadvertently performed by the user's unintended key input by limiting the transition condition to the run mode to the specific key input. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary power consumption, and in a battery-powered information processing device, the battery life is further improved. It is possible to be extended.

[0106]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional information processing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of another information processing apparatus of the related art.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of a power supply control device in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a keyboard interrupt process.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a standby interrupt process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a restart process.

FIG. 7 is a power mode state transition diagram of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a data configuration of keyboard information.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the information processing apparatus of the present invention.

12 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of a power supply control device illustrated in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of power control information.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is a state transition diagram of a power supply mode of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. 11;

[Explanation of symbols]

 51, 72 Power supply control device 52, 73 Keyboard input device 53, 75 Central processing unit 54, 76 Storage device 55, 74 Keyboard 71 Power supply 78 Display device 721 Key input monitoring unit 722 Power supply control unit 723 Same key input monitoring unit

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An information processing apparatus for controlling power-on of a system based on the presence or absence of an input from an input device, comprising: means for detecting a state in which the same input is continuously pressed for a predetermined time; Means for restricting a system power-on condition to a specific input condition when a state is detected. 2. An information processing apparatus, comprising: a run mode in which power is supplied to the entire system; and a standby mode in which power is supplied to a part of the system. same key detecting means for detecting a state of being pressed continuously for a predetermined period of time, is detected the state by said detecting means at a standby mode Osai, cyanobacteria
An information processing apparatus comprising means for restricting a condition for shifting to a mode to a specific key input.