JP7384021B2 - terminal device - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a terminal device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal device. The terminal device includes a temperature adjustment section, a battery, and a control section. When the temperature of the battery is low, the control unit causes the temperature adjustment unit to warm the battery, and after the battery has been heated to a predetermined temperature range (for example, normal temperature range), charges the battery. This is intended to suppress deterioration in charging performance when the battery is at low temperature.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-041614

In general, batteries used in terminal devices, etc., have a lower discharge rate when the temperature is low (e.g., 10°C or less) than when they are at room temperature (e.g., higher than 10°C). It is also known that performance deteriorates. In the technology of Patent Document 1, when the battery temperature is low, for example, when a high load function that consumes a large amount of current per unit time is executed, the battery discharge performance is not sufficiently obtained and the remaining battery is discharged. There is a risk of battery shortage (low battery). On the other hand, if the battery temperature is low and a power saving operation is executed to suppress the current consumption per unit time, the battery temperature will remain at a low temperature and sufficient discharge performance will not be obtained. The situation continues.

This specification provides a technique that can appropriately suppress problems caused by performance degradation of a battery at low temperatures.

The terminal device disclosed in this specification includes a temperature measurement unit that measures the temperature of a battery, and when the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit is below a reference temperature, the current consumption of the terminal device per unit time is reduced. , a control unit that executes a restriction process to limit to a specific range that is greater than or equal to a first value and less than or equal to a second value, wherein the first value is such that the terminal device operates in a power saving mode. The second value is the lower limit of the current consumption per unit time when the terminal device operates in a high load mode, and the second value is the lower limit of the current consumption per unit time when the terminal device operates in a high load mode. and the control unit having a value larger than .

According to this configuration, the control unit executes the restriction process when the temperature of the battery is equal to or lower than the reference temperature. In the restriction process, the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device is adjusted to a range that is greater than or equal to the first value and less than or equal to the second value. That is, by suppressing the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device to the second value or less, execution of a high-load function that consumes a large amount of current can be suppressed. As a result, the occurrence of problems (low battery, etc.) caused by high load functions being executed while the battery temperature is below the reference temperature can be suppressed. Furthermore, by maintaining the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device at a value equal to or higher than the first value, execution of power-saving operations with small current consumption is suppressed, and current consumption (i.e., battery heat generation) is promoted. can be done. Therefore, according to the above configuration, for example, the reference temperature is set to a value that is a threshold value in the low temperature range (for example, 10°C), and the first value and the second value are set to appropriate values depending on the terminal device. If you do this, if the terminal device is used in a low-temperature environment such as inside a refrigerator or outdoors in winter, Even under such conditions), the control unit appropriately performs the restriction process, so that it is possible to appropriately suppress problems caused by a decrease in battery performance at low temperatures.

Further, the restriction processing may include prohibiting operation in power saving mode.

According to this configuration, the control unit prohibits operation in a power saving mode in which current consumption per unit time is small when the temperature of the battery is equal to or lower than the reference temperature. As a result, the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device is adjusted to be equal to or greater than the first value. Thereby, heat generation of the battery is promoted, and the temperature of the battery can be increased. As a result, the situation where the battery temperature is below the reference temperature can be resolved relatively quickly. Therefore, according to the above configuration, a situation where a problem occurs due to a decrease in battery performance at low temperatures can be resolved relatively quickly.

Further, the restriction processing may include prohibiting operation in a high load mode.

According to this configuration, the control unit prohibits operation in a high load mode in which the current consumption per unit time is large when the temperature of the battery is equal to or lower than the reference temperature. As a result, the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device is adjusted to be equal to or less than the second value. Thereby, when the battery temperature is below the reference temperature (that is, the discharge performance is degraded), it is possible to appropriately suppress the occurrence of malfunctions (for example, low battery) due to the terminal device being used under high load. Can be done. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately suppress the occurrence of problems caused by a decrease in battery performance at low temperatures.

The restriction process may include prohibiting operation in power saving mode and prohibiting operation in high load mode.

According to this configuration, the control unit prohibits operation in a power saving mode in which current consumption per unit time is small when the temperature of the battery is equal to or lower than the reference temperature. As a result, the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device is adjusted to be equal to or greater than the first value. Thereby, heat generation of the battery is promoted, and the temperature of the battery can be increased. As a result, the situation where the battery temperature is below the reference temperature can be resolved relatively quickly. Therefore, according to the above configuration, a situation where a problem occurs due to a decrease in battery performance at low temperatures can be resolved relatively quickly. Furthermore, when the temperature of the battery is below the reference temperature, the control unit prohibits operation in a high load mode in which the current consumption per unit time is large. As a result, the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device is adjusted to be equal to or less than the second value. Thereby, when the battery temperature is below the reference temperature (that is, the discharge performance is degraded), it is possible to appropriately suppress the occurrence of malfunctions (for example, low battery) due to the terminal device being used under high load. Can be done. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately suppress the occurrence of problems caused by a decrease in battery performance at low temperatures.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the mode control process which the control part of a terminal device performs.

(First example)
A terminal device 10 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The terminal device 10 is a terminal device that can perform various functions such as reading information codes and reading and writing RF (Radio Frequency) tags. In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 is a portable terminal device. As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal device 10 includes a terminal main body 12 and a battery 14. The terminal body 12 includes an information code reading section 20, an RF communication section 21, a display section 22, an operation section 24, an external interface 26, a memory 30, a lighting section 32, a speaker 34, and a communication interface 38. , a power supply section 40, and a control section 42. Hereinafter, the interface will be referred to as I/F.

The information code reading unit 20 is a known reading unit that can optically read an information code (not shown). The information code reading section 20 includes a known imaging section, and can read information codes such as one-dimensional codes and two-dimensional codes, for example, based on images taken by the imaging section.

The RF communication unit 21 is a communication unit for performing wireless communication (RF communication) using radio waves as a medium with an RF tag (not shown) existing within a predetermined communication range (for example, within a 5 m radius). . The RF communication unit 21 of this embodiment is a known RF communication module, and includes a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, and an antenna (not shown).

The display unit 22 is a display for displaying various information. For example, the display section 22 can display various information including information regarding the information code read by the information code reading section 20. The display section 22 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. Further, the display section 22 may be a touch panel display.

The operation unit 24 includes a plurality of keys. A user can input various instructions into the terminal device 10 by operating a plurality of keys. In another example, the display section 22 and the operation section 24 may be configured as a touch panel that has both functions.

The external I/F 26 is connected to a network such as the Internet. The control unit 42 can perform wireless communication according to the Wi-Fi method with an external device (not shown) via the external I/F 26 and the network.

The memory 30 stores various programs for a control unit 42, which will be described later, to execute various processes. For example, the memory 30 includes RAM, ROM, and nonvolatile memory. The memory 30 has an area for storing various information such as information codes read by the information code reading section 20 in addition to various programs. Specifically, the memory 30 stores information received by the external I/F 26, information indicating the temperature of the battery 14 measured by a temperature measurement unit 52, which will be described later, and the like.

The illumination section 32 has a built-in illumination means such as an LED, and is a portion that can illuminate the surroundings of the terminal device 10, such as the imaging range by the imaging section of the information code reading section 20, for example.

The speaker 34 is an audio output unit that can output various sounds (for example, various notification sounds, message sounds, etc.).

The communication I/F 38 is an I/F for communicating with a management IC 50 of the battery 14, which will be described later. The communication I/F 38 acquires information (for example, information indicating the temperature of the battery 14 measured by the temperature measurement unit 52) from the management IC 50 by communicating with the management IC 50.

The power supply unit 40 is a power supply unit that is electrically connected to a battery cell 54 of the battery 14 described later and supplies power from the battery cell 54 to the terminal main body 12.

The control unit 42 includes an information code reading unit 20, an RF communication unit 21, a display unit 22, an operation unit 24, an external I/F 26, a memory 30, a lighting unit 32, a speaker 34, and a communication I/F 26. It is electrically connected to F38 and the power supply unit 40, and can control each of these elements. The control unit 42 executes various processes including a mode control process (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, according to a program stored in the memory 30.

The battery 14 is provided integrally with the terminal main body 12. In a modification, the battery 14 may be configured to be detachably attached to a predetermined battery attaching portion of the terminal main body 12. The battery 14 includes a management IC 50 and a battery cell 54.

The management IC 50 is capable of communicating with the communication I/F 38. Management IC 50 includes a temperature measurement section 52. The temperature measurement unit 52 constantly measures the temperature of the battery 14 including the battery cell 54. The temperature measurement unit 52 is, for example, a thermistor whose resistance value changes depending on the temperature of the battery 14. The temperature measuring section 52 is arranged close to the battery cell 54. The temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 52 is received by the terminal main body 12 from the battery 14 via the communication link between the management IC 50 and the communication I/F 38, and then stored in the memory 30.

The battery cell 54 is, for example, a known secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The battery cell 54 is electrically connected to the control unit 42 via the power supply unit 40. The internal resistance of the battery cell 54 increases as the temperature of the battery cell 54 decreases. It is known that the charging and discharging performance of the battery cell 54 is lower when the temperature is low (for example, 10° C. or lower) than when the battery cell 54 is at room temperature (for example, a temperature higher than 10° C.).

In this embodiment, the control unit 42 operates the terminal device 10 in two special operation modes, a power saving mode and a high load mode, in addition to the normal operation mode (hereinafter referred to as normal mode). Can be done. The power saving mode is an operation mode in which current consumption per unit time is smaller than in the normal mode. When the terminal device 10 operates in the power saving mode, the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device 10 is limited to a range equal to or less than the first value. The first value is the upper limit of current consumption per unit time in the terminal device 10 when the power saving mode is executed. Note that the first value is a value specified in advance through experiments or the like. Specifically, in the power saving mode, the number of clocks of the CPU included in the control unit 42 is limited (in this embodiment, the number of CPU clocks is zero), and the value of current consumption of the terminal device 10 is suppressed. Note that in the power saving mode, although the number of clocks of the CPU included in the control unit 42 is limited, the number of clocks of other components is not limited. When the terminal device 10 is in the power saving mode, the operating speed of each component is lower than in the normal mode. Further, when the terminal device 10 operates in the power saving mode, the operation of components that consume a large amount of current per unit time (capacity consumption of the battery cell 54), such as the RF communication section 21 and the lighting section 32, is prohibited. Ru. The rate at which the capacity of the battery cell 54 decreases when the terminal device 10 operates in the power saving mode is smaller than the rate at which the capacity of the battery cell 54 decreases when the terminal device 10 operates in the normal mode.

The control unit 42 operates the terminal device 10 in the power saving mode in response to the user's instruction to start the power saving mode.

On the other hand, the high load mode is an operation mode in which current consumption per unit time is larger than that in the normal mode. When the terminal device 10 operates in the high load mode, the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device 10 is equal to or higher than a predetermined second value. The second value is the lower limit of current consumption per unit time in the terminal device 10 when the high load mode is executed. The second value is higher than the first value. Note that the second value is a value specified in advance through experiments or the like. The case of operating in the high load mode is the case of operating components that consume a large amount of current per unit time (capacity consumption of the battery cell 54), such as the RF communication section 21 and the illumination section 32. The rate at which the capacity of the battery cell 54 decreases when the terminal device 10 operates in the high load mode is greater than the rate at which the capacity of the battery cell 54 decreases when the terminal device 10 operates in the normal mode.

The control unit 42 operates the terminal device 10 in a high-load mode in response to a user's instruction to execute a high-load function (for example, operation of the RF communication unit 21, the lighting unit 32, etc.).

(Mode control processing; Figure 2)
Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the details of the mode control process executed by the control unit 42 of this embodiment will be explained. The mode control process is a process for switching whether or not the battery 14 can operate in the power saving mode and the high load mode, depending on whether or not the battery 14 is at a low temperature. When the main power of the terminal device 10 is turned on, the control unit 42 starts the mode control process shown in FIG. 2.

In S2, the control unit 42 acquires information indicating the temperature of the battery 14 including the battery cell 54 measured by the temperature measurement unit 52 via the communication link between the management IC 50 and the communication I/F 38.

In subsequent S4, the control unit 42 determines whether the temperature of the battery 14 measured and acquired at the time of S2 is below a predetermined reference temperature. Here, the reference temperature is a temperature that is a threshold value in a low temperature range at which the discharge performance of the battery 14 deteriorates. That is, when the temperature of the battery 14 is lower than or equal to the reference temperature, it can be said that the battery 14 is at a low temperature (that is, the temperature is such that the discharge performance decreases). The reference temperature is determined in advance through experiments and the like, and is stored in the memory 30 in advance. It is preferable that the reference temperature is 10°C or less. In this embodiment, the reference temperature is set to 10°C. In a modification, the reference temperature may be 5°C or less, or may be 0°C or less. If the temperature of the battery 14 acquired in S2 is below the reference temperature, the control unit 42 determines YES in S4 and proceeds to S6. On the other hand, if the temperature of the battery 14 is higher than the reference temperature, the control unit 42 determines NO in S4 and proceeds to S10.

In S6, the control unit 42 prohibits operation in the power saving mode and also prohibits operation in the high load mode. If the terminal device 10 is operating in the power saving mode or high load mode at this point, in S6, the control unit 42 interrupts the operation of the terminal device 10 in the power saving mode or high load mode, and causes the terminal device 10 to operate in the normal mode. be forced to move to When operation in the power saving mode and high load mode is prohibited, the control unit 42 does not operate in the power saving mode even if the user instructs to start operating in the power saving mode. Similarly, even if the user instructs the start of operation in the high load mode, the control unit 42 does not operate in the high load mode (that is, does not start the high load mode). As a result, the current consumption per unit time in the terminal device 10 is limited to a range that is greater than or equal to the first value and less than or equal to the second value. Note that if the operation in the power saving mode is already prohibited and the operation in the high load mode is already prohibited at the time of S6, the control unit 42 continues to operate in both modes in S6. prohibit.

In subsequent S8, the control unit 42 displays on the display unit 22 that operation in the power saving mode is prohibited and that operation in the high load mode is prohibited. Thereby, the user of the terminal device 10 can understand this fact. Note that if the operation in the power saving mode and the high load mode have already been prohibited at the time of S6, the control unit 42 omits S8. That is, the display unit 22 does not display again that the operation in the power mode is prohibited and that the operation in the high load mode is prohibited. When S8 is executed, the process returns to S2.

Further, in S10 after NO in S4, if operation in the power saving mode is prohibited and operation in the high load mode is prohibited, the control unit 42 allows the operation in the power saving mode. and allow operation in high load mode. When S10 is executed, the control unit 42 can operate the terminal device 10 in either the power saving mode or the high load mode according to the user's instruction. Note that if operation in the power saving mode and operation in the high load mode have already been permitted at the time of S10, the control unit 42 continues to permit operation in both modes at S10. .

In subsequent S12, the control unit 42 displays on the display unit 22 that operation in the power saving mode is permitted and that operation in the high load mode is permitted. Thereby, the user of the terminal device 10 can understand this fact. Note that if the operation in the power saving mode and the high load mode have already been permitted at the time of S10 above, the control unit 42 omits S12. That is, the display unit 22 does not display again that the operation in the power saving mode is permitted and that the operation in the high load mode is permitted. Once S12 is executed, the process returns to S2.

As described above, the control unit 42 repeatedly executes the processes from S2 to S12 while the main power of the terminal device 10 is turned on.

(effect)
As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 42 prohibits operation in the power saving mode and high load mode when the temperature of the battery 14 is below the reference temperature (for example, 10° C.) (S6 in FIG. 2). ). Thereby, the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device 10 is limited to a range that is greater than or equal to the first value and less than or equal to the second value.

By prohibiting operation in the power saving mode, heat generation of the battery 14 is promoted, and the temperature of the battery 14 can be increased. As a result, the situation where the temperature of the battery 14 is below the reference temperature can be resolved relatively quickly. Therefore, according to the configuration of this embodiment, a situation where a problem occurs due to a decrease in the performance of the battery 14 at low temperatures can be resolved relatively quickly.

On the other hand, when the temperature of the battery 14 is below the reference temperature (i.e., the discharge performance is degraded) by prohibiting operation in the high load mode, problems may occur due to the terminal device 10 being used under a high load. (for example, low battery) can be appropriately suppressed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately suppress the occurrence of problems caused by a decrease in the performance of the battery 14 at low temperatures.

As described above, in this embodiment, for example, the reference temperature is set to a value that is a threshold value in the low temperature range (for example, 10 degrees Celsius), and the first value and the second value are set to appropriate values according to the terminal device 10. If the setting is set to The control unit 42 prohibits operation in the power saving mode and high load mode (S6) even when the battery 14 is used for various tasks (S6), thereby preventing malfunctions caused by performance deterioration of the battery 14 at low temperatures. can be appropriately suppressed.

(correspondence)
The process in S6 of the mode control process shown in FIG. 2 is an example of the "restriction process."

Although the embodiments have been described in detail above, these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The techniques described in the claims include various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. For example, the following modifications may be adopted.

(Modification 1) In the above embodiment, in S6 of the mode control process shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 42 prohibits operation in the power saving mode and also prohibits operation in the high load mode. , but not limited to this. In a modified example, in S6, the control unit 42 may prohibit only operation in the power saving mode. In this case, the control unit 42 permits operation in the high load mode. Further, in S6, the control unit 42 may prohibit only operation in the high load mode. In this case, the control unit 42 permits operation in the power saving mode.

(Modification 2) In a modification, in S6 of the mode control process shown in FIG. The current consumption may be adjusted to be greater than or equal to the first value and less than or equal to the second value. In this case, the process is an example of "restriction process."

(Modification 3) In the above embodiment, the temperature measuring section 52 is included in the battery 14. In a modification, the temperature measurement unit 52 may be included in the terminal body 12. In this case, the temperature measurement section 52 may be connected to the control section 42.

(Modification 4) In the above embodiment, instead of S8 of the mode control process, the control unit 42 may control the speaker 34 to generate a notification sound. Thereby, the user can understand from the notification sound that the operation in the power saving mode is prohibited and that the operation in the high load mode is prohibited. Further, the control unit 42 may control the speaker 34 to generate a notification sound in addition to S8 of the mode control process. Further, the control unit 42 may control the speaker 34 to generate the notification sound instead of S12 of the mode control process, and control the speaker 34 to generate the notification sound in addition to S12 of the mode control process. Good too.

(Variation 5) In the above embodiment, the control unit 42 may execute the mode control process every predetermined period, for example, every minute.

Further, the technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness singly or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims as filed. Further, the techniques illustrated in this specification or the drawings simultaneously achieve multiple objectives, and achieving one of the objectives has technical utility in itself.

10: Terminal device 12: Terminal body 14: Battery 20: Information code reading section 21: RF communication section 22: Display section 24: Operation section 26: External I/F
30: Memory 32: Lighting section 34: Speaker 38: Communication I/F
40: Power supply section 42: Control section 50: Management IC
52: Temperature measurement unit 54: Battery cell

Claims (1)

A terminal device,
a temperature measurement section that measures the temperature of the battery;
When the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit is below a reference temperature, the current consumption per unit time of the terminal device is limited to a specific range that is greater than or equal to a first value and less than or equal to a second value. The first value is an upper limit value of current consumption per unit time when the terminal device operates in a power saving mode, and the second value is: The control unit has a value that is a lower limit value of current consumption per unit time when the terminal device operates in a high load mode and is larger than the first value ,
The terminal device, wherein the restriction processing includes prohibiting operation in the power saving mode and prohibiting operation in the high load mode.

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