JP6021191B2 - Information terminal, charging method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information terminal, a charging method and a program, and more particularly to an information terminal, a charging method and a program using a charging circuit.

  In recent years, the current consumption of information terminals such as mobile phones has increased due to the increase in functionality. For this reason, the information terminal maintains or lengthens the usage time when the battery is used by increasing the battery capacity. However, as the battery capacity of the information terminal increases, it is necessary to increase the charging current for charging the battery. When the charging current increases in this way, the amount of heat generated by the charging circuit also increases.

Since information terminals in recent years have been miniaturized, an area for diffusing or dissipating heat generated by the charging circuit is limited. Therefore, a technique for sufficiently diffusing or radiating the heat generated in the charging circuit is desired. Then, in order to respond to such a request, using the charger currently disclosed by patent document 1, for example is examined. Patent Document 1, instead of providing a portable device charging circuit for charging the built batteries among built into the portable device, discloses the structure that is provided in the charger. By providing the charging circuit in the charger rather than in the portable device, an increase in the surface temperature of the portable device can be prevented. Further, since the charger has fewer restrictions on the size than the portable terminal, it is easy to diffuse or dissipate the heat generated by the charging circuit.

JP 2009-247161 A

  A user who uses an information terminal may use a charger at various places such as home, office or on the go. Furthermore, chargers used at home, in the office, or on the go are different, and may not have a charging circuit, for example. In such a case, on the assumption that the charger is provided with a charging circuit, if the information terminal does not have a charging circuit, it cannot be charged using a charger without a charging circuit. There's a problem.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an information terminal, a charging method, and a program that can perform charging regardless of whether a charging circuit is provided in a charger.

Information terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention is an information terminal for charging the built battery using the power supplied from the charger, the charging circuit is the charge supplying a charging current to the built - in battery A charging control unit for determining whether or not the charger is provided, and when the charging circuit is provided in the charger, the charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the charger is supplied to the built cell, wherein when the charging circuit is not provided on the charger, switching supplies charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the information terminal to the built - in battery And a control unit.

Charging method according to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging method for charging the built-battery information terminal by using the power supplied from the charger, the charging circuit supplies a charging current to the built - in battery Is provided in the charger, and when the charging circuit is provided in the charger, the charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the charger is supplied to built battery, when the charging circuit is not provided on the charger, supplies a charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the information terminal to the built - in battery is there.

Program according to the third aspect of the present invention is a program for executing processing for charging the built-battery information terminal by using the power supplied from the charger to the computer, into the built - in battery charging current It is determined whether or not a charging circuit to be supplied is provided in the charger, and when the charging circuit is provided in the charger, the charge output via the charging circuit provided in the charger supplying current to the built - in battery, when the charging circuit is not provided on the charger, the charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the information terminal to the built - in battery It is what makes a computer perform supplying.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information terminal, a charging method, and a program that can perform charging regardless of whether or not a charging circuit is provided in the charger.

1 is a configuration diagram of an information terminal according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a charging path according to the first embodiment; It is a figure explaining DC plug and DC jack concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining DC plug and DC jack concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a charging path according to the first embodiment; It is a figure explaining DC plug and DC jack concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a process for controlling the operation of a charging circuit in the information terminal according to the first embodiment. It is a block diagram of the information terminal concerning Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow of charge control processing according to the second exemplary embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A configuration example of the information terminal according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The information terminal 20 in FIG. 1 includes a charging control unit 21, switching control unit 22, the charging circuit 23 and the built battery 24. Further, the information terminal 20, when performing charging of the built cell 24 and is connected to the charger 10 as a power source.

The charge control unit 21, the charging circuit supplies a charging current to the built battery 24 determines whether provided in the charger 10. For example, when the charger 10 and the information terminal 20 are connected, the charging control unit 21 determines whether or not the charging circuit is provided in the charger 10 using a signal transmitted from the charger 10 or the like. May be. The charging control unit 21 outputs information regarding whether or not the charging circuit is provided in the charger 10 to the switching control unit 22.

Switching control unit 22, when the charging circuit to the charger 10 is provided to supply the output through a charging circuit provided in the charger 10 charge current to the built battery 24. Or, switching control unit 22, when the charging circuit to the charger 10 is not provided, it outputs a charging current output through the charging circuit 23 provided in the information terminal 20 to the built battery 24. The charging circuit 23 outputs a charging current to the switching control unit 22 using the power supplied from the charger 10.

As described above, when the charging circuit is provided in the charger 10 by using the information terminal 20 in FIG. 1, the information terminal 20 uses the charging circuit provided in the charger 10. The storage battery 24 is charged. Furthermore, when the charging circuit to the charger 10 is not provided, the information terminal 20 charges the built battery 24 using the charging circuit 23 provided in the own device.

For example, when a charger equipped with the charging circuit in order to suppress heat generation in the information terminal 20 during charging is used, the information terminal 20 be charged in the built battery 24 to suppress the heat generation of the terminal body it can. Furthermore, when it is not intended to suppress heat generation in the charging information terminal 20 and a charger without a charging circuit is used, the information terminal 20 uses a charging circuit in its own device. Accordingly, it is possible to charge the the built battery 24. Thus, the information terminal 20, regardless of whether the charging circuit to the charger 10 is provided, it is possible to charge the built battery 24.

  Next, the charging path according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The bold arrows in this figure indicate the charging path when the charging circuit 32 is provided in the charger 30. First, a configuration example of the charger 30 will be described. The charger 30 includes an AC / DC converter 31 and a charging circuit 32.

  The AC / DC conversion unit 31 converts the alternating current into a direct current used in the information terminal 20. The charger 30 having the AC / DC conversion unit 31 may be referred to as a charging adapter or an AC adapter. The AC / DC conversion unit 31 may be configured using a transformer, a rectifier, and the like.

Charging circuit 32, by using the direct current output from the AC / DC converter 31 generates a charging current used to charge the built battery 24. The charging circuit 32 outputs the generated charging current to the information terminal 20. Charging current output from the charging circuit 32 is supplied to the built battery 24 via the switching control section 22.

  When the charger 30 provided with the charging circuit 32 is connected or inserted, the charging control unit 21 detects that the status signal indicating the presence or absence of the charging circuit has changed from the Low level to the Hi level. The status signal is a signal input to the charging control unit 21. When the status signal changes from the Low level to the Hi level, the charging control unit 21 outputs a message notifying the switching control unit 22 that the charging circuit 32 is provided in the charger 30. Further, when the status signal changes from the Low level to the Hi level, the charging control unit 21 outputs an enable signal set to the Hi level to the charging circuit 23, for example.

Switching control unit 22, supplied from the charging control unit 21, when receiving a message indicating that the charging circuit 32 to the charger 30 is provided, the charging current output from the charger 30 to the built battery 24 To do.

  The charging circuit 23 stops the operation when the enable signal set to the Hi level is output from the charging control unit 21. Specifically, the charging circuit 23 stops the operation for generating the charging current. The charging control unit 21 can prevent heat generation in the charging circuit 23 by outputting an enable signal set to the Hi level to the charging circuit 23 and stopping the operation of the charging circuit 23.

The charging control unit 21, when the charging of the built cell 24 has been completed, may output an enable signal set to the Hi level to the charging circuit 32. The charging control unit 21 can stop the operation of the charging circuit 32 by outputting an enable signal set to the Hi level to the charging circuit 32.

  Here, the configuration of the DC plug and the DC jack used to detect the charging circuit 32 in the charging control unit 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration of the DC plug 50 and the DC jack 60 when the charging circuit 32 is not detected as a comparative example. The DC plug 50 is provided on the information terminal side, and the DC jack 60 is provided on the charger side.

  The DC plug 50 has a power supply terminal 51 and a GND terminal 52. Further, the DC jack 60 has a power supply terminal 61 and a GND terminal 62. When the DC plug 50 and the DC jack 60 are connected, the GND terminal 52 and the GND terminal 62 are in contact with each other, and the power supply terminal 51 and the power supply terminal 61 are in contact with each other. When the DC plug 50 and the DC jack 60 are connected, power is supplied from the power supply terminal 61 to the power supply terminal 51.

  Next, the configuration of the DC plug 70 and the DC jack 80 when the charging circuit 32 is detected will be described with reference to FIG. The DC plug 70 is provided on the information terminal side, and the DC jack 80 is provided on the charger side.

  The DC plug 70 has a power supply terminal 71, a GND terminal 72, a status terminal 73 and an enable terminal 74. Further, the DC jack 80 has a power supply terminal 81, a GND terminal 82, a status terminal 83 and an enable terminal 84. When the DC plug 70 and the DC jack 80 are connected, the power terminal 71 and the power terminal 81 are in contact, the GND terminal 72 and the GND terminal 82 are in contact, the status terminal 73 and the status terminal 83 are in contact, the enable terminal 74 and The enable terminal 84 contacts.

  The status terminal 83 and the enable terminal 84 in the DC jack 80 are terminals provided when the charger 30 has the charging circuit 32. That is, when the charger 30 having the charging circuit 32 and the information terminal 20 are connected, the charging control unit 21 sets the status signal input via the status terminal 73 to the Hi level. Further, when stopping the operation of the charging circuit 32, the charging control unit 21 outputs an enable signal set to the Hi level to the DC jack 80 via the enable terminal 74 and the enable terminal 84.

  Next, the charging path according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The bold arrows in this figure indicate the charging path when the charger 40 is not provided with a charging circuit. First, a configuration example of the charger 40 will be described. The charger 40 has an AC / DC converter 41. The charger 40 does not have a charging circuit like the charger 30 shown in FIG.

  When the charger 40 and the information terminal 20 are connected, the DC jack 60 and the DC plug 70 are connected as shown in FIG. Since the charger 40 is not provided with a charging circuit, there is no terminal corresponding to the status terminal 83 and the enable terminal 84. When the DC jack 60 and the DC plug 70 are connected, the power terminal 61 and the power terminal 71 are in contact with each other, and the GND terminal 62 and the GND terminal 72 are in contact with each other. Since there is no terminal in contact with the status terminal 73, the status signal is not set to the Hi level and remains at the Low level.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the AC / DC converter 41 converts the alternating current into a direct current used in the information terminal 20. The AC / DC converter 41 outputs a direct current to the information terminal 20.

Charging circuit provided on the information terminal 20 23, using the direct current output from the AC / DC converter 41 generates a charging current used to charge the built battery 24. Charging circuit 23 supplies the generated charging current to the built battery 24 via the switching control section 22.

  Here, the charging control unit 21 determines that the charging circuit is not provided in the charger 40 because the status signal remains at the low level. In this case, the charging control unit 21 outputs an enable signal with the Low level set to the charging circuit 23. In addition, the charging control unit 21 outputs a message notifying the switching control unit 22 that the charging circuit is not provided in the charger 40.

  The charging circuit 23 continues the operation when the enable signal set to the Low level is output from the charging control unit 21. That is, the charging circuit 23 outputs the charging current to the switching control unit 22.

Switching control unit 22 supplies the charging control unit 21, when receiving a message indicating that the charging circuit to the charger 40 is not provided, the charging current output from the charging circuit 23 to the built battery 24 .

  Next, the flow of processing for controlling the operation of the charging circuit 23 in the information terminal 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, the information terminal 20 is connected to the charger 30 having the charging circuit or the charger 40 not having the charging circuit using the DC plug 70 (S11). Next, the charging control unit 21 determines whether or not the status signal has changed from the Low level to the Hi level (S12).

  In step S12, when it is determined that the status signal has been changed from the low level to the high level, the charging control unit 21 outputs the enable signal set to the high level to the charging circuit 23 and stops the operation of the charging circuit 23 (S13). ).

In step S12, the charging control unit 21, if the status signal is determined to be the Low level, and outputs an enable signal set to Low level to the charging circuit 23, the charging of the built cell 24 using the charging circuit 23 (S14).

As described above, by using the information terminal 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the information terminal 20 is connected to either the charger 30 having the charging circuit 32 or the charger 40 not having the charging circuit. in case, it is possible to perform the charging of the built cell 24.

  Specifically, the information terminal 20 uses the DC plug 70, the charger 30 having the charging circuit 32 uses the DC jack 80, and the charger 40 that does not have the charging circuit uses the DC jack 60. Can determine whether the charger is provided with a charging circuit. The information terminal 20 can control the operation of the charging circuit 23 in its own device by determining whether or not the charging circuit is provided in the charger.

Therefore, the information terminal 20, when connected to any of the charger 40 does not have a charger 30 and a charging circuit having a charging circuit 32, it is possible to perform the charging of the built cell 24, charger 30 , The heat generation generated in the charging circuit 23 can be prevented.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a configuration example of the information terminal 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The information terminal 100, the charging control unit 101, the switching control unit 102, and a charging circuit 103 and the built battery 104. Here, the difference between the information terminal 100 and the information terminal 2 of FIG. 2 will be mainly described. When connected to the charger 30, the charging control unit 101 detects the charging voltage of the charging circuit 32. Further, when connected to the charger 40, the charging control unit 101 detects the charging voltage of the charging circuit 103. A dotted line arrow in this figure indicates that the charger 30 or the charger 40 is connected.

Furthermore, charging control unit 101, while charging the built battery 104, it monitors the temperature of the built cell 104, for detecting the temperature of the built battery 104. Furthermore, charging control unit 101, while charging the built battery 104, it monitors the battery voltage and charging current of the built cell 104, detects a battery voltage and charging current of the built battery 104.

  Next, the flow of the charging control process using each value detected by the charging control unit 101 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the charging control unit 101 monitors the charging circuit (S21). The charging control unit 101 monitors the charging circuit 32 when the information terminal 100 is connected to the charger 30, and monitors the charging circuit 103 when the information terminal 100 is connected to the charger 40.

  Next, the charging control unit 101 determines whether or not the charging voltage Vchg of the charging circuit is within a normal value range (S22). The range in which the charging voltage Vchg is a normal value means that the charging voltage Vchg satisfies the minimum voltage value Vmin ≦ Vchg ≦ maximum voltage value Vmax. The minimum voltage value Vmin and the maximum voltage value Vmax are determined in advance.

  When the charging voltage Vchg does not satisfy the minimum voltage value Vmin ≦ Vchg ≦ maximum voltage value Vmax, the charging control unit 101 determines that the charging voltage is abnormal and stops charging (S28). When charging is stopped, the charging control unit 101 outputs an enable signal set to a high level to the charging circuit 32 or the charging circuit 103.

  When the charging voltage Vchg satisfies the minimum voltage value Vmin ≦ Vchg ≦ maximum voltage value Vmax, the charging control unit 101 starts charging using the charging current output from the charging circuit 32 or the charging circuit 103 to the switching control unit 102. A message instructing to do so is output (S23).

Next, the charge control unit 101 determines whether the battery temperature T of the built battery 104 is within the normal value range (S24). The range in which the battery temperature T is a normal value means that the battery temperature T satisfies the minimum temperature Tmin ≦ T ≦ maximum temperature Tmax. The minimum temperature Tmin and the maximum temperature Tmax are determined in advance.

When the battery temperature T does not satisfy the minimum temperature Tmin ≦ T ≦ maximum temperature Tmax, the charging control unit 101 determines that an abnormality has occurred during charging, and stops charging (S28). If the battery temperature T meets the minimum temperature Tmin ≦ T ≦ maximum temperature Tmax, then the charging control unit 101 determines whether the charging current i to be supplied to the built battery 104 is below the specified current α (S25). Specified current α is used to determine whether the inner built battery 104 becomes fully charged. If the inner built battery 104 becomes fully charged, the charging current α supplied to the built battery 104 decreases. Here, when the charging current i becomes equal to or less than the specified current α, it can be determined that there is a high possibility that the battery is fully charged.

When the charging control unit 101 determines that the charging current i is not equal to or less than the specified current α, that is, the charging current i exceeds the specified current α, the processing after step S22 is repeated. The charge control unit 101 determines whether if it is determined that the charging current i is below the specified current alpha, is the battery voltage V of the built cell 104 specified voltage β higher (S26). Specified voltage β is used to determine whether the inner built battery 104 becomes fully charged.

If the inner built battery 104 becomes fully charged, the battery voltage of the built battery 104 is higher. Here, charge control unit 101 determines if the battery voltage V reaches the prescribed voltage β or more, and is the built battery 104 becomes fully charged. That is, the charging control unit 101, at step S25, determines that the charging current i is below the specified current alpha, in step S26, when it is determined that the battery voltage V is specified voltage β or more, the built battery 104 Is fully charged and charging is completed (S27). When it is determined that the battery voltage V is not equal to or higher than the specified voltage β, that is, when it is determined that the battery voltage V is lower than the specified voltage β, the charging control unit 101 repeats the processes after step S22.

  When the charging is completed in step S <b> 27, the charging control unit 101 outputs an enable signal set to the Hi level to the charging circuit 32 or the charging circuit 103.

As described above, by using the information terminal 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, by detecting the battery temperature of the charging voltage and the built battery 104 of the charging circuit 32 or charging circuit 103, during charging It can be determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred. If it is determined that an abnormality has occurred during charging, the charging control unit 101 can stop the charging process by outputting an enable signal set to the Hi level to the charging circuit. By doing so, it is possible to prevent an unexpected situation such as a sudden increase in the heat generation of the charging circuit due to an abnormality during charging.

Furthermore, charging control unit 101, by detecting the charge current i and the battery voltage V, it is possible to determine whether or not the built battery 104 is fully charged. Charging control unit 101, when it is determined that the built battery 104 becomes fully charged, by stopping the charging circuit, it is possible to prevent excessive heat generation in the charging circuit. Further, in FIG. 9, in order to determine whether the inner built battery 104 becomes fully charged, has been described treatment with steps S25 and S26, may perform the processing either alone.

  In the above-described embodiments, the present invention has been described as a hardware configuration, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be realized by causing a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute the computer program by performing the processing in FIGS. 7 and 9. )

  In the above example, the program can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (for example, flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (for example, magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / W, semiconductor memory (for example, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory)) are included. The program may also be supplied to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The temporary computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example,

10 charger 20 information terminal 21 charging controller 22 a switching control unit 23 the charging circuit 24 Integral battery 30 charger 31 AC / DC converter 32 charging circuit 40 the charger 41 AC / DC converting unit 50 DC plug 51 power terminals 52 GND Terminal 60 DC jack 61 Power supply terminal 62 GND terminal 70 DC plug 71 Power supply terminal 72 GND terminal 73 Status terminal 74 Enable terminal 80 DC jack 81 Power supply terminal 82 GND terminal 83 Status terminal 84 Enable terminal 100 Information terminal 101 Charge control unit 102 Switching control part 103 charging circuit 104 Integral battery

Claims (7)

An information terminal for charging the built battery using the power supplied from the charger,
A charge control unit determines whether the charging circuit supplies a charging current to the built - in battery is provided in the charger,
If the charging circuit is provided in the charger, the charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the battery charger supplied to the built - in battery, the charging circuit is provided in the charger If not being, and said information supplying charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the terminal to the built - in battery switching control unit,
E Bei and a status terminal connected to the charger,
The charge controller is
When the charger provided with the charging circuit is connected, a change in the status signal input through the status terminal is detected, and when the charger not provided with the charging circuit is connected, Does not detect a change in status signal input via the status terminal,
Information terminal. The charge controller is
If the charging current the voltage of the built - in battery is outputted from exceeding a defined voltage and the switching controller falls below a specified current, are provided in said charging circuit or the information terminal is provided in the charger The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein an output of a charging current from a charging circuit to the switching control unit is stopped. The charge controller is
If the charging current the voltage of the built - in battery is outputted from exceeding a defined voltage and the switching controller falls below a specified current, provided within the end charging circuit or the information terminal is provided in the charger The information terminal according to claim 2 , wherein the output of the charging current from the charging circuit to the switching control unit is stopped by outputting an enable signal to the charging circuit. The charge controller is
If the temperature of the built - in battery is within the specified temperature range, to continue the charging of the built - in battery, when the temperature of the built - in battery is out of the specified temperature range, to stop the charging of the built - in battery, The information terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The charge controller is
If the charging voltage of the charging circuit provided in said charging circuit or the information terminal is provided in the charger is within the prescribed voltage range, starts charging of the built - in battery, the charging voltage is the predetermined voltage If it is out of range, not charge the built - in battery, an information terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A charging method for charging the built-battery information terminal by using the power supplied from the charger,
It determines whether the charging circuit supplies a charging current to the built - in battery is provided in the charger,
If the charging circuit is provided in the charger, the charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the battery charger supplied to the built - in battery, the charging circuit is provided in the charger If it is not, supplying a charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the information terminal to the built - in battery,
When the charger provided with the charging circuit is connected, a change in a status signal input via a status terminal connected to the charger is detected, and the charger not provided with the charging circuit is when connected, it does not detect a change in status signal input through the status terminal, charging methods. A program for executing the process of charging the built-battery information terminal by using the power supplied from the charger to the computer,
It determines whether the charging circuit supplies a charging current to the built - in battery is provided in the charger,
If the charging circuit is provided in the charger, the charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the battery charger supplied to the built - in battery, the charging circuit is provided in the charger If it is not, supplying a charging current output through the charging circuit provided in the information terminal to the built - in battery,
When the charger provided with the charging circuit is connected, a change in a status signal input via a status terminal connected to the charger is detected, and the charger not provided with the charging circuit is when connected, it does not detect a change in status signal input through the status terminal, a program for executing a call to the computer.

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