JP3578310B2 - Portable information equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable information device incorporating PIM (Personal Information Manager) software such as an electronic address book and a schedule.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a portable information device of this kind, a pocket-sized device has been introduced in many cases, but it has not been possible to reduce the size of the portable information device to such a size as to be carried on an arm and used also as a watch.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-mentioned wristwatch-sized portable information device, a large battery having a high capacity cannot be used, and a small battery has a short life and is not suitable for practical use. In addition, due to the nature of information equipment, the display must be a full dot type capable of displaying various characters, and the battery life has been an issue.
[0004]
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to turn off the display or blink the display when the information device is not used for a certain period of time, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable information device with low current consumption that can turn off a display during communication and return to an original screen after resuming.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, a portable information device according to the present invention includes a central processing unit (CPU), and an interface (I / F) connected between the outside and the CPU to communicate with the outside. ), And a timer connected to the CPU that operates according to the conditions set by the input device. Upon receiving a signal from the timer, the LCD is disconnected from the display power supply and enters a display pause state. After the updated information is displayed during the pause, the screen returns to the screen before the pause. Also, when communication is performed between the portable information device main body and the personal computer, the display power supply is disconnected or the display is made to blink.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, a storage device 12 and operation keys 13 are connected to a CPU (central processing unit) 11, and the CPU 11 performs predetermined arithmetic processing while exchanging signals with the storage device 12 in response to an input from the operation keys 13. In order to display the result of this processing, a full-dot LCD 15 is connected through the LCD driver 14 and displayed thereon. A timer 17 is connected to the CPU 11 so as to output a signal when there is no input from the operation key 13 for a certain period of time. This time can be set freely using the operation keys 13. Further, an I / F (interface) 16 is connected to the CPU 11 and used when communicating with the outside. The LCD driver 14, the LCD 15, and the I / F 16 are independently provided with power supplies, and switches 18 and 19 are connected to the power supplies, respectively. These switches 18 and 19 are opened and closed by the CPU 11 in response to a signal from the timer 17.
[0007]
The operation of opening and closing the switch 19 among the switches will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the switch 19. Hereinafter, the numbers in parentheses are symbols corresponding to the respective steps in the figure.
The operation of this device is performed by inputting from the operation keys (201). When it is determined that there is an input operation (202), the timer is initialized (202) and the timer is started. Even if there is no input operation, it is determined whether the processing is completed inside the device (204), and if not completed, the timer is initialized (202). If the processing is completed, the timer count is completed ( 205) Wait. During this time, the same operation is repeated if input is made from the operation keys, but if the timer count is completed without input, the display power is turned off (206). When the power is turned off and the operation key is pressed again, the timer is initialized, the power of the display is connected, and the display is restarted.
[0008]
The operation when the display is restarted will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 3 is a flowchart when the suspended display is resumed.
When there is an interruption (300) from the operation key, the associated CPU is started (301), and first, a clock is displayed (302). This indicates that the device has been restarted normally, and it is presumed that the information that the person carrying the device wants to know will be the time, so that the person carrying the device can select from various types of information to be updated in advance. Needless to say. In some cases, the updated information may not be displayed. After displaying the clock for a certain period of time, the software before display suspension is determined (303), and the software before suspension is selected from the address book (304), schedule (305), memo pad (306) and the like. Display that screen.
[0009]
Next, a case where communication is performed between the portable information device main body and a personal computer will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram when communication is performed with the personal computer of the present invention.
The portable information device main body 41 is set so as to be fixed to the I / F station 42 and is electrically connected. The I / F station 42 is connected to a personal computer 43 by a serial connector or the like. A standby power supply 44 is provided in the I / F station 42, and supplies power to the portable information device main body 41 when connected thereto. In such a configuration, the portable information device main body 41 can communicate with the personal computer 43 through the I / F station 42 and can take in information of the personal computer. Further, it is needless to say that this personal computer can communicate with the outside and can also take in the information.
[0010]
Next, the flow of the operation of turning off the display power in this configuration will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the steps of the operation of the present invention.
First, it is determined whether or not the portable information device is communicating with the personal computer (501). If the portable information device is communicating, the timer is initialized (502). If the communication is not in progress, it is determined whether or not the timer count is completed (503). If the communication is completed, the LCD power is turned off. Of course, in some cases, the power supply of the I / F can be cut off. If the timer count has not been completed, the flow returns to the determination (501) of whether communication is in progress and repeats this flow.
[0011]
A timer is used in each of the above-described two embodiments, that is, when the display is paused if no input is performed for a predetermined time from the operation key, and when the display is paused during communication with the outside. The condition of this timer can be freely set by the user. The operation of setting the timer will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 are views showing display screens of the portable information device of the present invention.
[0012]
First, by resetting the device, the time is displayed on the first screen as shown in FIG. 6, and then the filer screen as shown in FIG. 7 is automatically displayed. If you select "Power Management" here, It is possible to set the on / off time of the blinking as shown in FIG. 8, or to set whether to turn off the power during the pause or the waiting time before starting the operation by inputting from the operation keys as shown in FIG. I can do it.
[0013]
Next, an embodiment will be described in which the LCD is turned on and off when an I / F for communicating with the outside is connected. When the I / F is connected, if the display is stopped even if the above-described communication is not performed, it is useful for reducing the current consumption, which is the object of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of blinking the LCD when the I / F is connected.
When the main body of the portable information device is fixed to the I / F station, an I / F connection state is input (1001), and it is determined whether or not the I / F is electrically connected (1002). If the connection state is established, the LCD is turned on and off without a delay time such as a timer (1003) to indicate that the connection state has been entered, and at the same time, the state of low current consumption is achieved. If the connection state is not established, the portable information device is set again so as to be in the connection state, and is securely fixed until the LCD blinks.
[0014]
Next, an embodiment for reducing current consumption for clock display will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the steps of the clock display operation of the present invention.
In the display of the clock, when the time signal is sent, it is determined whether or not the second digit has changed (1101). If it has changed, the display of the second digit is updated (1102) and displayed, and further 10 seconds. It is determined whether or not the digit has changed (1103). If the digit has changed, the display of the 10-second digit is updated (1104). In the following, it is determined whether the digit at 10:00 has changed (1105), and if so, the display of the digit at 10:00 is updated. If the digit does not change in any of the determination steps, the display is kept as it is. This requires less current to be consumed for the display of non-moving digits.
[0015]
As described above, in order to reduce the current consumption, the display is in a pause state if no operation is performed for a certain period of time, and a screen such as a clock is displayed by pressing any operation key when the operation is resumed, in order to reduce current consumption. It has a structure to return to the previous screen. Therefore, a display such as a clock is not displayed when the mobile phone is not normally used as an information device. However, there are many times when the user wants to see the time when carrying the mobile phone. In this case, instead of starting up the information device from the beginning, a time display button is provided, and the time can be displayed by pressing the button. Also, various methods are conceivable, such as displaying the time by shaking the device using a vibration sensor attached to the device instead of using the button.
[0016]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention includes the timer that operates according to the conditions set by the input device, receives the signal from the timer, disconnects the LCD from the display power supply, enters the display pause state, and resumes the clock after the display is resumed. Is displayed, the screen returns to the screen before the pause, and the following effects are obtained.
[0017]
Current consumption during display pause is reduced, so that a battery built in a device sized to be attached to an arm has a battery life that can withstand practical use. In addition, even if the configuration in which the pause state of the display is provided as described above is employed, there is no practical problem since the screen is switched or the pause is automatically performed. Therefore, the effect of the present invention, which is more convenient to carry by attaching to the wrist and can make full use of the function as an information device, is very large.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the steps of the operation of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps of the operation of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the steps of the operation of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing contents displayed on a display screen of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing contents displayed on a display screen of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing contents displayed on the display screen of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing contents displayed on the display screen of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the steps of the operation of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the steps of the operation of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 CPU
12 storage device 13 operation keys 14 LCD driver 15 LCD
16 I / F
17 Timer 18, 19 Switch 41 Portable information device main body 42 I / F station 43 Personal computer 44 Backup power supply

Claims (1)

A central processing unit to which a storage device and an input device are connected;
A display device for displaying a calculation result in the central processing unit;
A timer connected to the central processing unit and outputting a signal when there is no input from the input device for a predetermined time;
A switch that is connected between the display device and a power supply provided independently of the display device, and that opens and closes in response to a signal from the timer;
Has,
When the timer outputs a signal, the display device is disconnected from the power supply by the switch,
By the input from the input device, the display device is connected to the power supply by the switch , the display device, when connected to the power supply by the switch, after displaying the time for a fixed time, the screen before the pause. A portable information device characterized by displaying .

Images