JP7283528B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device such as an electronic timepiece, and a control method and program for the electronic device.

Highly functional and compact electronic devices such as smart watches are becoming popular. High-performance electronic equipment consumes a large amount of power, and when the battery voltage drops, all functions including basic functions such as the timekeeping function stop. Therefore, in the electronic timepiece disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, the functions are restricted according to the voltage of the secondary battery so that the basic functions (timekeeping function, etc.) can be maintained for a long period of time.

JP 2016-161324 A

The electronic timepiece disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200010 is designed to maintain its basic functions for a long time by restricting functions according to the voltage of the secondary battery. However, the electronic timepiece consumes a large amount of power until the voltage drop of the secondary battery occurs. Therefore, when the user tries to use functions other than the basic functions, the secondary battery may already have a voltage drop. In such a case, the user cannot use the functions other than the basic functions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device, a control method, and a program capable of prolonging the battery life without giving the user a feeling of functional limitation.

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device according to the present invention includes:
a communications department;
a first control unit;
A second control unit with lower power consumption than the first control unit ,
The second control unit includes a priority acquisition unit that determines that the priority of the information received by the communication unit is acquired ,
The first control unit is
In an operating state in which power consumption is reduced compared to a normal state , when a condition for shifting to a power reduction state in which functions executed by the first control unit are stopped is satisfied, a power reduction notification is sent to the second control unit. and transition from the normal state to the power suppression state,
When a wake-up signal is received from the second control unit, the power suppression state returns to the normal state,
The second control unit is
Upon receiving the power suppression notification from the first control unit, starting a function executable by the second control unit corresponding to the function stopped by the first control unit,
When the priority acquisition unit of the second control unit determines that the communication unit has received the information with a high priority , the wake-up signal is transmitted to the first control unit and the second control unit Stop the function that can be executed with .

According to the present invention, it is possible to prolong the battery life without making the user feel that the functions are restricted.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic timepiece according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an electronic device system according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which compares the normal operating state and low power consumption operating state which concern on embodiment. It is a figure explaining the structure of the 1st display part which concerns on embodiment, and a 2nd display part. 6 is a flowchart of low power consumption operation state transition processing according to the embodiment; 6 is a flowchart of normal operation state transition processing according to the embodiment; 6 is a flowchart of operation state switching processing according to the embodiment;

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts in the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic timepiece 100, which is an example of an electronic device according to an embodiment, has a functional configuration including a first control unit 110, a second control unit 120, a first communication unit 131, and a first display. Unit 132, first operation unit 133, second operation unit 134, second communication unit 135, second display unit 136, sensor unit 137, notification unit 138, power control unit 140, battery 141 And prepare.

Also, the first control unit 110 includes a processor 111 , a memory 112 , and a timer circuit 113 . The first control unit 110 has a function of putting itself to sleep to reduce power consumption. The sleeping first control unit 110 basically stops operating, but when it receives an interrupt signal (wake-up signal) from the outside, it recovers from the sleep state, becomes active, and starts operating.

The processor 111 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) with high processing capability (for example, a 64-bit operating frequency of 1 GHz) capable of implementing a high-performance OS (Operating System) such as Android.

The memory 112 is composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and has a capacity that can cover most of the capacity required to implement all the functions of the electronic timepiece 100 . . Note that the memory 112 is not limited to being provided inside the first control unit 110 and may be provided outside the first control unit 110 .

The clock circuit 113 clocks the time displayed by the electronic clock 100 . Note that the timer circuit 113 may be configured by software that changes the value to be stored in the memory 112 every predetermined time (for example, one second), or may be configured by dedicated hardware. The time measured by the clock circuit 113 is the cumulative time from a predetermined timing, the standard time of each region such as UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), JST (Japan Standard Time), or the time of a preset city. It may be any of the time (local time) and the like. Further, the time measured by the clock circuit 113 does not necessarily have to be in the form of year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. Note that the clock circuit 113 is not limited to being provided inside the first control unit 110 , and may be provided outside the first control unit 110 .

The second control unit 120 includes a processor 121 , a memory 122 , and a timer circuit 123 that measures the time of the electronic clock 100 .

The processor 121 is a CPU with low functionality and low speed (for example, a 16-bit CPU with an operating frequency of 16 MHz) compared to the processor 111 . Therefore, the processor 121 is not suitable for a high-performance OS. On the other hand, processor 121 consumes less power than processor 111 . In addition, the processor 121 is capable of intermittent operation. For example, by intermittently operating once per second for a short period of time, the processor 121 can be operated with much lower power consumption than the processor 111. is.

The memory 122 is composed of RAM, ROM, etc., and has a capacity necessary for the operation of the processor 121 . Note that the memory 122 and the timer circuit 123 are not limited to being provided inside the second control unit 120 , and may be provided outside the second control unit 120 . For example, all or part of the memory 112 inside the first control unit 110 may be configured to be usable by the second control unit 120 as the memory 122 . Also, the memory 112 and the memory 122 may be the same external memory, and the same memory may be shared by the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 .

The timekeeping circuit 123 measures the time displayed by the electronic timepiece 100 in the same manner as the timekeeping circuit 113 . Further, like the timer circuit 113, it may be configured by software, or may be configured by dedicated hardware. As with the clock circuit 113, the type and format of the time clocked by the clock circuit 123 are arbitrary. Note that the clock circuit 123 is not limited to being provided inside the second control unit 120 , and may be provided outside the second control unit 120 . Also, the timer circuit 113 and the timer circuit 123 may be the same external timer circuit, and the same timer circuit may be shared by the first controller 110 and the second controller 120 .

The first communication unit 131 is a device for wirelessly communicating with another device (for example, a smartphone), and is, for example, a communication device compatible with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) Classic communication standard.

The first display unit 132 is a high-definition display capable of color display, such as a color high-definition LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). However, the first display unit 132 is not limited to the LCD, and may be EL (Electro-Luminescence) or the like. The first display unit 132 displays a high-definition time and displays a screen when application software of a high-performance OS is executed.

The first operation unit 133 includes a touch panel module provided over the first display unit 132 and the second display unit 136 . The first operation unit 133 receives an input operation from the user through the touch panel module, and sends an electrical signal corresponding to the input operation to the first control unit 110 as an input signal. For example, when the user touches the display of the electronic timepiece 100, the first operation unit 133 generates an interrupt signal (wakeup signal) to notify the first control unit 110 that the display has been touched. Then, it detects the contact position and contact mode of the user's contact operation on the touch panel module, and sends an operation signal corresponding to the detected contact position and contact mode to the first control unit 110 . The first display unit 132 and the first operation unit 133 implement a UI (User Interface) of the advanced OS. The first operation unit 133 functions as an operation acquisition unit that acquires user operations.

The second operation unit 134 has a crown and buttons. The second operation unit 134 receives an input operation from the user using the crown or buttons, and sends an electrical signal corresponding to the input operation to the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 as an input signal. For example, the second operation unit 134 receives instructions from the user such as setting the time or switching the display using the crown or buttons, and sends the instructions to the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 .

In FIG. 1, the first operation unit 133 is connected only to the first control unit 110, and the second operation unit 134 is connected to the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120, but this is just an example. , and the connection destination is not limited to this example. For example, the first operation unit 133 may be connected to the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120, or may be connected to the second control unit 120 only. Also, the second operation unit 134 may be connected only to the first control unit 110 or only to the second control unit 120 .

Like the first communication unit 131, the second communication unit 135 is also a device for wirelessly communicating with another device (for example, a smartphone). However, the power consumption of the second communication unit 135 is lower than that of the first communication unit 131 and the communication speed is lower than that of the first communication unit 131 . The second communication unit 135 is, for example, a communication device compatible with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (hereinafter referred to as BLE) communication standard.

The second display unit 136 is, for example, a monochrome segment display such as an LCD. The second display section 136 consumes less power than the first display section 132 . The second display unit 136 can display the time and other information using segments or the like.

The sensor unit 137 includes sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an atmospheric pressure sensor. Based on the information detected by the sensor unit 137, the second control unit 120 can acquire information such as movement, orientation, and altitude of the electronic timepiece 100. FIG.

The notification unit 138 includes a buzzer and a vibration motor. The notification unit 138 can notify the user that an alarm has been set or that a message has been received, for example, by sounding a buzzer or vibrating the electronic timepiece 100 with a vibration motor. .

The power control unit 140 converts the power supply voltage from the battery 141 into a desired voltage and supplies power to each device inside the electronic timepiece 100 . The power control unit 140 can turn ON/OFF the power (power supply) supplied to each device according to instructions from the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 .

The functional configuration of the electronic timepiece 100 has been described above. The electronic timepiece 100 configures the electronic device system 1 together with the smartphone 200 as shown in FIG. The smartphone 200 is wirelessly connected to the electronic timepiece 100 via Bluetooth (registered trademark). Therefore, for example, the smartphone 200 can send the received email to the electronic timepiece 100 via Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The electronic timepiece 100 uses the first communication unit 131 capable of high-speed communication on the high-performance OS described above, so that the email sent from the smartphone 200 can be sent in a relatively short time frame, including the email text and attached files. It is possible to receive the mail within a short period of time, and by using the functions of the high-performance OS, for example, it is possible to display the mail text, or the mail text and attached files, or the like. Therefore, in this case, the user can check the email on the electronic watch 100 without checking the smartphone 200 .

However, the electronic timepiece 100 may stop (sleep, etc.) the first communication unit 131 and the first control unit 110 in order to reduce power consumption. Processing is performed in unit 135 . As described above, the processor 121 of the second control unit 120 is not suitable for implementing a high-performance OS, and the communication speed of the second communication unit 135 is slow. Therefore, when the electronic timepiece 100 is suppressing power consumption, the electronic timepiece 100 takes into consideration the processing speed of the processor 121 and the communication speed of the second communication unit 135, and does not receive all of the mail text, etc. It is also possible to reduce the power consumption of the electronic timepiece 100 to a limited amount of communication.

Therefore, in this case, the electronic timepiece 100 causes the processor 121 to display an incoming mail icon indicating that an incoming mail has been received. However, the degree of function provided by the processor 121 is arbitrary. In this case, the electronic timepiece 100 displays the mail sender instead of or in addition to displaying the mail arrival icon. or the subject may be displayed. It is assumed that the type of notification signal to be transmitted by smartphone 200 to electronic timepiece 100 when electronic timepiece 100 is connected to electronic timepiece 100 via second communication unit 135 is set in smartphone 200 in advance.

In this way, the electronic timepiece 100 can perform all the functions of the electronic timepiece 100 when the processor 111 is operating, but when the processor 111 is not operating, the Only some limited functions (for example, a clock function, an incoming mail icon display function, a step count function, a biometric information (pulse, etc.) detection function, etc.; hereinafter referred to as a limited function) can only be executed. However, if only limited functions need to be executed, there is no need to operate the processor 111 (the processor 111 can be placed in a sleep state or a power-off state), so the power consumption of the electronic timepiece 100 can be kept low. .

These two types of operating states of the electronic timepiece 100 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the operating state in which the processor 111 (main CPU) of the electronic timepiece 100 is operating is called the normal operating state. An operating state in which the processor 111 is not operating (as a processor, only the processor 121 (sub CPU) is operating) is referred to as a low power consumption operating state. In addition, the low power consumption operating state is also referred to as a power restrained state.

In the low power consumption operating state, the second control unit 120, the first operation unit 133, the second operation unit 134, the second communication unit 135, the second display unit 136, the sensor unit 137, the notification unit 138, and the power supply control unit 140 Operate. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the second display unit 136 displays the time in monochrome segments. In addition, the second communication unit 135 can perform communication with low power consumption of BLE at low speed. Further, processing of limited functions is possible on the processor 121 with low power consumption and the low-performance OS. Although the functions are limited, the power consumption of the electronic timepiece 100 is reduced because it operates with the processor 121, BLE, and monochrome segment LCD as hardware.

Also, in the normal operation state, the first control unit 110, the first communication unit 131, and the first display unit 132 operate in addition to the hardware operating in the low power consumption operation state. However, in the normal operation state, the second communication unit 135 and the second display unit 136 may be in the sleep state or the power OFF state. In the normal operation state, high-definition color display is performed by the first display unit 132, as shown in FIG. Further, the first communication unit 131 enables high-speed communication of Bluetooth (registered trademark) Classic. All functions of the electronic timepiece 100 can be processed on the high-speed processor 111 and high-performance OS. However, since the hardware is the processor 111, Bluetooth (registered trademark) Classic, and color high-definition LCD, the power consumption of the electronic timepiece 100 is greater than in the low power consumption operating state.

As can be seen from the "display example" in FIG. 3, the display on the monochrome segment LCD is not visible in the normal operating state, and the display on the color high-definition LCD is not visible in the low power consumption operating state. This is because, as shown in FIG. 4, the electronic timepiece 100 has a structure in which the display section overlaps the first display section 132 and the second display section 136, and the second display section 136 is displayed during normal operation. is realized by making the display of . In the normal operation state, the second display section 136 is in a transmissive state, so that only the display of the first display section 132 can be seen from the eye E. Further, in the low power consumption operation state, the first display section 132 is not driven, so that the eye E can see only the display of the second display section 136 . With such a configuration, the electronic timepiece 100 can both display information desired by the user and reduce power consumption.

The electronic timepiece 100 operates by switching between the two operating states described above depending on the situation. An example of a situation in which the normal operating state is switched to the low power consumption operating state is a state in which there is no user operation for a predetermined time (for example, a time set by the user such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 1 minute). I have a situation. Examples of situations in which the low power consumption operating state is switched to the normal operating state include a situation in which the user operates the touch panel of the electronic timepiece 100 and a situation in which a notification signal indicating that a call has been received from the smartphone 200 is received. There is

Next, the processing (low power consumption operation state transition processing) when the electronic timepiece 100 switches from the normal operation state to the low power consumption operation state will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the first control unit 110 acquires time information kept by the clock circuit 113 and communication state information (connection information with a communication partner, etc.) in the first communication unit 131 (step S111). . Then, along with the time information and the information on the communication state, a notification (power reduction notification) notifying that the operating state will be changed to the low power consumption operation state is transmitted to the second control unit 120 (step S112).

Then, the first control unit 110 shifts the first communication unit 131 and the first display unit 132 to the sleep state (step S113), and also shifts the own control unit (the first control unit 110) to the sleep state (step S114). ).

On the other hand, in the normal operation state, the second control unit 120 keeps waiting for the power reduction notification from the first control unit 110 (step S121). If the second control unit 120 does not receive the power reduction notification (step S121; No), the process returns to step S121. Further, when the second control unit 120 receives the power reduction notification (Step S121; Yes), the second control unit 120 changes the time information measured by the clock circuit 123 based on the time information included in the notification to the time when the clock circuit 113 was clocking. Synchronize (step S122).

Then, based on the communication state information included in the notification, the second communication unit 135 can resume communication with the other party with which the first communication unit 131 has been communicating (step S123). Then, the low power consumption operation state transition processing ends. Note that the order of the processing of steps S122 and S123 is arbitrary, and the processing of step S122 may be performed after performing the processing of step S123.

The electronic timepiece 100 switches from the normal operation state to the low power consumption operation state by the low power consumption operation state transition processing described above. The low power consumption operation state transition processing is also called a power reduction transition step. Note that it may be difficult to resume communication in the second communication unit 135 based on the communication state information of the first communication unit 131 . In such a case, the communication with the communication partner is once disconnected in step S111, and the process of reconnecting with the communication partner is performed in step S123.

Next, the processing (normal operation state transition processing) when the electronic timepiece 100 switches from the low power consumption operation state to the normal operation state will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the second control unit 120 transmits an interrupt signal (wakeup signal) to the first control unit 110 to restore the first control unit 110 from the sleep state (step S221). Note that switching from the low power consumption operating state to the normal operating state is also performed when the user touches the first operation unit 133 (touch panel). An interrupt signal (wakeup signal) is transmitted to 110 to restore the first control unit 110 from the sleep state. Then, the first control unit 110, which has returned from the sleep state by an interrupt signal from the first operation unit 133, sends a notification requesting the second control unit 120 to transmit a normal shift notification (transmission request notification), which will be described later. to send. After receiving the transmission request notification, the second control unit 120 starts processing from step S222 of the normal operation state transition processing.

The second control unit 120 that has transmitted an interrupt signal to the first control unit 110 or the second control unit 120 that has received a transmission request notification from the first control unit 110 receives time information measured by the clock circuit 123, Information on the communication state in the second communication unit 135 (connection information with the other party of communication, etc.) is acquired (step S222).

Then, the second control unit 120 transmits to the first control unit 110 a notification (normal transition notification) notifying that the operation state will be shifted to the normal operation state together with the time information and communication state information (step S223). Then, the second control unit 120 puts the second display unit 136 in the transparent state (step S224), and shifts the second communication unit 135 to the sleep state (step S225). The order of the processing of steps S224 and S225 is arbitrary, and the processing of step S224 may be performed after performing the processing of step S225.

On the other hand, when the first control unit 110 receives an interrupt signal (wakeup signal), it returns from the sleep state and starts normal operation state transition processing. Then, it waits for the normal shift notification to be transmitted from the second control unit 120 (step S211). If the first control unit 110 does not receive the normal shift notification (step S211; No), the process returns to step S211. Further, when the first control unit 110 receives the normal shift notification (step S211; Yes), the first control unit 110 changes the time information measured by the clock circuit 113 to the time when the clock circuit 123 was measuring based on the time information included in the notification. (step S212).

Then, the first control unit 110 enables the first communication unit 131 to restart the communication with the other party with which the second communication unit 135 was communicating based on the communication state information included in the notification (step S213). . Then, the normal operation state transition processing ends. The order of the processing of steps S212 and S213 is arbitrary, and the processing of step S212 may be performed after performing the processing of step S213.

Through the normal operating state transition processing described above, the electronic timepiece 100 switches from the low power consumption operating state to the normal operating state. The normal operation state transition process is also called a normal state transition step. Note that it may be difficult to resume communication in the first communication unit 131 based on the information on the communication state of the second communication unit 135 . In such a case, the communication with the communication partner is once disconnected in step S222, and the process of reconnecting with the communication partner is performed in step S213.

Next, operation state switching processing, which is processing for switching the operation state of the electronic timepiece 100 depending on the situation, will be described with reference to FIG. When the electronic timepiece 100 is activated, the operating state switching process is activated as one thread, and the process is started in parallel with other threads. Note that FIG. 7 assumes that the electronic timepiece 100 first enters a normal operation state when it is started. If the electronic timepiece 100 starts up and enters the low power consumption operating state, the operating state switching process may be started from step S103.

The first control unit 110 determines whether or not a state without user operation has continued for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) based on signals from the first operation unit 133 and the second operation unit 134 (step S101). If no user operation has continued for a predetermined time or longer (step S101; No), the process returns to step S101.

If no user operation has continued for a predetermined time or longer (step S101; Yes), the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 perform the above-described low power consumption operation state transition processing, and the electronic timepiece 100 , to the low power consumption operation state (step S102).

Next, the second control unit 120 determines whether or not the second communication unit 135 has received the notification signal from the smart phone 200 (step S103). A notification signal is, for example, a signal that notifies that smartphone 200 has received a call or email. If the notification signal has not been received (step S103; No), the first operation unit 133 determines whether the user's touch on the touch panel module has been detected (step S104). If no touch is detected (step S104; No), the process returns to step S103. If a touch is detected (step S104; Yes), the process proceeds to step S107.

On the other hand, if the second communication unit 135 has received the notification signal in step S103 (step S103; Yes), the second control unit 120 determines whether the notification signal includes information indicating high priority. Determine (step S105). The priority is set in advance by the user, the sender of the mail, the electronic device system 1, and the like. For example, information indicating high priority is included in a notification signal for notifying an incoming call or a notification signal for mail from a sender whose priority is set high by the user. In step S105, the second control unit 120 functions as a priority acquisition unit.

If the notification signal does not contain information indicating a high priority (step S105; No), the second control unit 120 displays an icon on the second display unit 136 (step S106), and returns to step S103. Here, the icon is, for example, a pattern indicating the arrival of mail, and each pattern of the icon is set on the second display unit 136 by segments.

If information indicating a high priority is included in the notification signal (step S105; Yes), the second control unit 120 performs the normal operation state transition processing described above, and restores the first control unit 110 from the sleep state. Then, the electronic timepiece 100 shifts to the normal operating state (step S107). Then, the first control unit 110 starts data communication with the smartphone 200 through the first communication unit (step S108), and receives the text of the email according to the user's instruction. Then, the process returns to step S101.

The operation state switching process has been described above. By the operating state switching process described above, the electronic timepiece 100 operates in the low power consumption operating state for as long as possible, and immediately shifts to the normal operating state when the user attempts to execute a function other than the limited function. Therefore, the electronic timepiece 100 can extend the battery life without making the user aware that the functions are limited.

In the operation state switching process shown in FIG. 7, in order to avoid complicating the explanation, the notification signal reception determination (step S103) and the , only the touch detection determination (step S104) is performed, but the present invention is not limited to these. For example, this includes a case in which the user attempts to check information such as the number of steps on the color display (first display unit 132) and causes the color display to be displayed by movement of the wrist (by gesture operation). In this case, the second control unit 120 determines the gesture motion based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor included in the sensor unit 137, and when the gesture motion is detected, the process proceeds to step S107. By doing so, the electronic timepiece 100 can be switched to the normal operating state even by a gesture operation, so that the user can be less likely to feel discomfort in operation due to the low power consumption operating state.

In addition, whether or not the user "desires to always display an icon (desires that the electronic timepiece 100 maintains the low power consumption operating state (power suppression state) for as long as possible)" is set in advance. A modification is also conceivable in which the second control unit 120 determines "Is the user's setting always requesting icon display?" immediately before step S105 in FIG. In this modification, if the determination is Yes, the process proceeds to step S106, and if the determination is No, the process proceeds to step S105. When making the determination, the second control unit 120 functions as a user setting acquisition unit.

In this modified example, if the user has made a setting of "always want icon display", even if a notification signal transmitted from smartphone 200 is received, electronic timepiece 100 changes to a low power consumption operating state in which icon display is performed. The process proceeds to step S107 only after the user's touch operation or gesture action is detected. By doing so, the electronic timepiece 100 can maintain the low power consumption operating state unless the user himself/herself switches to the normal operating state, thereby further extending the battery life. .

In addition, in the operation state switching process shown in FIG. 7, the description is omitted, but when shifting to the normal state in step S107, the second control unit 120 controls the notification unit 138 to notify the user to switch to the normal state. may notify the transition of For example, it is conceivable to play a predetermined sound or vibrate the electronic timepiece 100 in a predetermined vibration pattern. Similarly, when displaying the icon on the second display unit 136 in step S106, the second control unit 120 may control the notification unit 138 to notify the user that the icon has been displayed. By doing so, even when operating in the low power consumption operating state, when information that must be immediately notified to the user is received, the information can be immediately notified to the user.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various combinations and modifications are possible.

For example, in the above embodiment, the first communication unit 131 is a communication device compatible with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) Classic communication standard, and the second communication unit 135 is a communication device compatible with the BLE communication standard. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the first communication unit 131 is a communication device compatible with a high-speed wireless LAN communication standard such as IEEE802.11n, and the second communication unit 135 is a communication device compatible with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) Classic communication standard. Embodiments are also contemplated. If the power consumption of the second communication unit 135 is lower than the power consumption of the first communication unit 131, the electronic timepiece 100 can use a communication device compatible with any communication standard that satisfies the required specifications. can be done.

The relationship between the first display section 132 and the second display section 136 is also the same. Any first display 132 and second display 136 that meet the requirements can be used. Similarly, if the power consumption of the second control unit 120 is lower than the power consumption of the first control unit 110, the electronic timepiece 100 uses any first control unit 110 and second control unit 120 that satisfy the required specifications. be able to.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the first communication unit 131 and the first control unit 110 are set to the sleep state, and the second control unit 120 or the first operation unit 133 restores the first control unit 110 from the sleep state. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the first control unit 110 transitions to the sleep state, but the first communication unit 131 maintains the wireless communication connection without transitioning to the sleep state, except for maintaining the wireless communication connection between the electronic watch 100 and the smartphone 200 The first communication unit 131 may wake up the first control unit 110 from the sleep state when the first communication unit 131 receives the signal or information of .

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the electronic watch 100 is described as an example of an electronic device that incorporates the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120. However, the present invention is not limited to electronic watches, A first device group (first control unit 110, first communication unit 131, first display unit 132) with high capability and large power consumption, such as a watch, a smartphone, and a wearable device, and a group of devices with higher capability than the first device group It can be applied to an arbitrary electronic device equipped with a second device group (second control unit 120, second communication unit 135, second display unit 136) with low power consumption but low power consumption.

Further, the programs executed by the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 are stored in a computer-readable storage such as a flexible disk, a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, a memory card, etc. It can be stored and applied on a medium. Furthermore, a program can be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program may be posted and distributed on a bulletin board (BBS: Bulletin Board System) on a communication network. Then, the above processing may be executed by starting this program and executing it in the same manner as other application programs under the control of an OS (Operating System).

In addition, specific details such as the configurations, control procedures, and display examples shown in the above embodiments can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof. The invention described in the scope of claims originally attached to the application form of this application is additionally described below. The appendix numbers are as in the claims originally attached to this application.

(Appendix 1)
a first display unit;
a second display unit with lower power consumption than the first display unit;
a first communication unit;
a second communication unit having lower power consumption than the first communication unit;
a first control unit;
a second control unit that consumes less power than the first control unit;
an operation acquisition unit that transmits a wake-up signal for returning the first control unit from a sleep state that reduces power consumption to a normal state that is a normal operation state when a user's operation is acquired;
The first control unit is
When a condition for shifting to a power suppression state, which is an operation state for suppressing power consumption, is satisfied, a power suppression notification is transmitted to the second control unit, and display on the first display unit and display on the first communication unit are performed. stop communication and transition to the sleep state;
When the wake-up signal is received from the second control unit or the operation acquisition unit, the sleep state is restored to the normal state, and display on the first display unit and communication on the first communication unit are started. ,
The second control unit is
When the power suppression notification is received from the first control unit, display on the second display unit and communication on the second communication unit are started,
When the condition for shifting to the normal state is satisfied, the wake-up signal is transmitted to the first control unit, and the display on the second display unit and the communication on the second communication unit are stopped.
Electronics.

(Appendix 2)
The condition for transitioning to the power suppression state includes that the operation is not acquired by the operation acquisition unit for a predetermined time.
The electronic device according to Appendix 1.

(Appendix 3)
The condition for shifting to the normal state includes that the information received by the second communication unit is information indicating an incoming call.
The electronic device according to appendix 1 or 2.

(Appendix 4)
Further comprising a priority acquisition unit for acquiring the priority of the information received by the second communication unit,
The condition for shifting to the normal state includes that the second communication unit receives the information with a high priority acquired by the priority acquisition unit.
The electronic device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3.

(Appendix 5)
When the priority of the information received by the second communication unit is not high, the second control unit displays an icon indicating that the information has been received on the second display unit.
The electronic device according to appendix 4.

(Appendix 6)
Furthermore, it has an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration,
The condition for transitioning to the normal state includes that the second control unit determines that the value detected by the acceleration sensor indicates a predetermined movement.
6. The electronic device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 5.

(Appendix 7)
further comprising a user setting acquisition unit that acquires a setting as to whether or not the user desires to maintain the power suppression state;
When the setting acquired by the user setting acquisition unit is a desire to maintain the power suppression state, the second control unit determines whether the information received by the second communication unit is a transition to the normal state. Even if the condition is satisfied, the display on the second display unit and the communication on the second communication unit are maintained without transmitting the wake-up signal to the first control unit.
7. The electronic device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6.

(Appendix 8)
Furthermore, a notification unit that notifies the user that the operation state is switched by vibration or sound,
The second control unit notifies the user by the notification unit when the conditions for transition to the normal state are satisfied.
8. The electronic device according to any one of Appendices 1 to 7.

(Appendix 9)
a first display unit, a second display unit with lower power consumption than the first display unit, a first communication unit, a second communication unit with lower power consumption than the first communication unit, a first control unit, A control method for an electronic device, comprising a second control unit that consumes less power than the first control unit,
When a condition for shifting to a power suppression state, which is an operation state for suppressing power consumption, is satisfied, the subject of control is switched to the second control unit, and display on the first display unit and communication by the first communication unit are performed. a power reduction transition step of stopping and transitioning the first control unit to a sleep state that reduces power consumption, and starting display on the second display unit and communication on the second communication unit;
When the condition for shifting to the normal state, which is the normal operation state, is satisfied, the first control unit is returned from the sleep state to the normal state, which is the normal operation state, and the main control is transferred to the first control unit. Normal state transition step of switching, stopping display on the second display unit and communication on the second communication unit, and starting display on the first display unit and communication on the first communication unit and,
A control method comprising:

(Appendix 10)
a first display unit, a second display unit with lower power consumption than the first display unit, a first communication unit, a second communication unit with lower power consumption than the first communication unit, a first control unit, A computer of an electronic device comprising a second control unit that consumes less power than the first control unit,
When a condition for shifting to a power suppression state, which is an operation state for suppressing power consumption, is satisfied, the subject of control is switched to the second control unit, and display on the first display unit and communication by the first communication unit are performed. a power reduction transition step of stopping and transitioning the first control unit to a sleep state that reduces power consumption, and starting display on the second display unit and communication on the second communication unit;
When the condition for shifting to the normal state, which is the normal operation state, is satisfied, the first control unit is returned from the sleep state to the normal state, which is the normal operation state, and the main control is transferred to the first control unit. Normal state transition step of switching, stopping display on the second display unit and communication on the second communication unit, and starting display on the first display unit and communication on the first communication unit ,
program to run the

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Electronic equipment system 100... Electronic timepiece 110... First control part 111, 121... Processor 112, 122... Memory 113, 123... Time-counting circuit 120... Second control part 131... First communication part , 132... First display unit 133... First operation unit 134... Second operation unit 135... Second communication unit 136... Second display unit 137... Sensor unit 138... Notification unit 140... Power supply control part, 141... battery, 200... smart phone, E... eyes

Claims (3)

a communications department;
a first control unit;
A second control unit with lower power consumption than the first control unit ,
The second control unit includes a priority acquisition unit that determines that the priority of the information received by the communication unit is acquired ,
The first control unit is
In an operating state in which power consumption is reduced compared to a normal state , when a condition for shifting to a power reduction state in which functions executed by the first control unit are stopped is satisfied, a power reduction notification is sent to the second control unit. and transition from the normal state to the power suppression state,
When a wake-up signal is received from the second control unit, the power suppression state returns to the normal state,
The second control unit is
Upon receiving the power suppression notification from the first control unit, starting a function executable by the second control unit corresponding to the function stopped by the first control unit,
When the priority acquisition unit of the second control unit determines that the communication unit has received the information with a high priority , the wake-up signal is transmitted to the first control unit and the second control unit to stop a function that can be executed with
An electronic device characterized by: The second control unit further includes a user setting acquisition unit that acquires a setting as to whether or not the user desires to maintain the power suppression state,
If the setting acquired by the user setting acquisition unit is a desire to maintain the power suppression state, the second control unit receives the information with the high priority by the communication unit. does not transmit the wake-up signal to the first control unit even if the function is executable by the second control unit ,
The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized by: When the priority of the information received by the communication unit is not high, the second control unit displays an icon indicating that the information has been received on the display unit.
The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2.

Images