JPH07306736A - Method and device for information processing - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the method and device for information processing which reduce the power consumption without lowering the operability. CONSTITUTION:The device is provided with plural input parts which are operated by an operator to input various data, the use state of, for example, a keyboard 41 among the input device is detected, and the possibilities that the input parts are used are decided according to the detection result. According to the decision result, the electric power supply to an input which is low in the possibility of use is suppressed under the control of a power source control part 26.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a plurality of input sections,
The present invention relates to an information processing method and apparatus for performing processing based on data input from these input units.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various information processing devices such as personal computers and word processors have been realized as such devices. In these devices, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and a digitizer are connected as an input unit that is operated by an operator and inputs various data. Further, various devices, such as a handy scanner and a bar code reader, which input information by an instruction operation of an operator, can be connected. On the other hand, many devices of this type have a built-in battery for supplying electric power for data protection or operation of the memory in the main body, and are portable. In such devices, in order to reduce the battery replacement and prolong the operable time, the device is designed to reduce the power consumption as much as possible.

A widely realized method of reducing power consumption will be described below. The operation in the power saving mode is activated, for example, when the keyboard or the like is not operated for a predetermined time.

(1) The number of circuits to which a direct current component is applied is reduced.

(2) The operating voltage of the circuit is lowered.

(3) The operating frequency of the circuit is lowered.

(4) Stop the operation of an unused circuit or cut off the operating power.

Now, the method (4) will be described.
First, the elapsed time since the keyboard or the like was operated is measured. And when there is no next operation for a certain period of time,
It judges that the circuit is not used and suppresses the power supply to the circuit. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the power consumption by the circuits of the unnecessary portions. If the time interval is set short, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced. However, if the setting is made too short, the power saving mode may often be entered even while the operator is using it, and the operation may be stopped, leading to a decrease in operability.

On the other hand, when the predetermined time interval is set to be long, the operability does not decrease, but the effect of reducing power consumption decreases. So, normally, this set time is
It has been decided to achieve both operability and power consumption.
In addition, such a power saving mode is, for example, C of Intel Corporation.
It can be easily realized by using the PU "386SL" series. It is also widely realized in notebook type personal computers and the like.

[0010]

However, the above-mentioned conventional example has the following problems.

In the method of the conventional example (4), the set time must elapse before it is determined whether to stop the circuit. Until this set time elapses, power is supplied normally and the circuit continues to operate normally regardless of whether the circuit is used or not. Therefore, if the power is not used for a certain period of time, the power consumed within this time is completely wasted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing method and apparatus capable of reducing power consumption without lowering operability.

Another object of the present invention is to suppress power supply to an input section which is unlikely to be used on the basis of an operation by an operator so that the operability is not deteriorated and the power saving mode is set. It is to provide an information processing method and an apparatus capable of performing the above operation.

Another object of the present invention is to determine that when one of the input sections of the same type is used, it is unlikely that the other of the input sections of the same type is used, and the operability is improved. An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing method and an apparatus capable of operating in a power saving mode without causing deterioration.

[0015]

An information processing apparatus of the present invention for achieving the above object has the following configuration.
That is, a plurality of input units that are operated by an operator to input various data, a detection unit that detects a usage status of at least one of the plurality of input units, and the plurality of input units according to the detection result of the detection unit. Each of the input sections is determined to determine the possibility of being used, and a power saving section that suppresses the power supply to the input section that is unlikely to be used according to the determination result of the determining section.

In order to achieve the above object, the information processing method of the present invention comprises the following steps. That is, the step of detecting the use status of at least one of the plurality of input units operated by the operator to input various data, and the possibility of using each of the plurality of input units according to the detection result. According to the process of determining
And a step of suppressing power supply to an input section that is unlikely to be used.

[0017]

In the above structure, the use status of at least one of the plurality of input sections operated by the operator to input various data is detected, and each of the plurality of input sections is used according to the detection result. Determine the likelihood that it will be done. According to the determination result, the power supply to the input unit that is unlikely to be used is suppressed.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Explanation of Apparatus (FIG. 2)> FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the information processing apparatus in this embodiment.
The apparatus of this embodiment has a keyboard 41,
For example, a mouse 43 as a pointing device is provided. Reference numeral 19 denotes a display unit such as a liquid crystal, and a digitizer 16 in which a transparent tablet is arranged is provided on the display surface. Further, a coordinate input device capable of inputting the designated coordinate information by designating a position on the input tablet (digitizer 16) with the input pen 15 is provided as an input means. The locus of the input to the tablet surface of the digitizer 16 and the input result are sequentially displayed on the screen of the display unit 19, and the LCD 19 and the digitizer 16 are overlapped so that the input position and the output position are the same. Therefore, the input pen 15 can be used to input figures, characters, etc., as if writing on paper on a tablet.

On the keyboard 41, 70,
Reference numeral 71 is a palm sensor for detecting whether or not the keyboard 41 is touched. 70 is a palm sensor (left) for detecting that the left hand is placed,
71 is a palm sensor (right) for detecting that the right hand is placed.

<Description of Sensor Configuration (FIG. 3)> FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the palm sensor.
The case of 0 is shown, but the same applies to the case of the sensor 71. In this embodiment, the palm sensors 70 and 71 detect whether or not the palm is placed on the keyboard 41 by the reflection of infrared light.

In the figure, 84 is an exterior member of the keyboard 41, and 83 is a sensor cover made of a material that transmits infrared light. Reference numeral 81 denotes an LED that emits infrared light according to an instruction from the CPU 10, and the light emitted by the LED 81 is emitted toward the sensor cover 83. A photo sensor 82 detects infrared light (reflected light) incident through the sensor cover 83. Reference numeral 86 denotes a comparator, which compares the output of the photo sensor (photo detector: PD) 82 with a predetermined threshold value and outputs the result to the CPU 10.

In the above structure, when the obstacle 85 is placed on the sensors 70, 71, the infrared light emitted from the LED 81 is reflected by the obstacle 85 and is reflected by the photodetector 8.
It is incident on 2. The presence or absence of the obstacle 85, that is, the palm is detected by comparing this with the comparator 86.

Further, the sensors 70, 71 of this embodiment can be constructed by other methods. For example, a structure may be used in which a pressure sensitive switch that detects pressure is provided in the part where the palm is placed. It can also be configured with a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the palm. Furthermore, a configuration may be employed in which ultrasonic waves or sound waves are emitted in the direction in which the palm is placed, and the sound waves reflected by the palm or the like are detected as in this embodiment.

<Description of Circuit Configuration (FIGS. 4 and 5)> Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a schematic configuration of a control unit of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the figure, 10 is a CPU for controlling the entire apparatus
That is, according to the program stored in the memory unit 12, processing such as calculation and I / O control is executed. The peripheral device controller 11 operates in cooperation with the CPU 10 to control I / O (serial communication, parallel communication, real-time clock, timer, interrupt control, etc.) necessary for controlling the peripheral device.
DMA control). The memory unit 12 includes memories such as DRAM, cache RAM, and ROM as main memory. Power is supplied to the main memory even when the device is not used, and the stored contents are always retained. A secondary storage device 13, such as a hard disk (HDD), stores an OS, application programs, user data, and the like. Reference numeral 44 denotes a timer, which measures the time instructed by the instruction from the CPU 10, and when the instructed time elapses, the CPU 1
An interrupt or the like is generated for 0 to notify it. The timer 44 can operate as a plurality of timers so that a plurality of times can be measured simultaneously.

As will be described later, in the device of this embodiment, power is supplied independently to each unit, and the power can be turned on and off in units. In the unit configuration of this embodiment, 30 is a digitizer unit, 31 is a display unit,
Reference numeral 32 is a backlight unit, and 33 is a card unit. Further, 34 is a communication unit, 35 is a keyboard unit, and 36 is a mouse unit.

The digitizer unit 30 includes the input pen 15
Control pen input by. The coordinate input by the digitizer 16 is performed by the digitizer 1 by the pen 15 as described above.
6 is performed as if writing on paper, and the locus and result thereof are displayed on the display unit 19. The display unit 19 and the digitizer 16 are stacked so that the input position and the output position are regarded as the same, and the input accuracy of the digitizer 16 is set to a display dot of the display unit 19 or less, for example, about 0.1 mm. There is.
The digitizer control unit 14 controls the digitizer 16, and the internal configuration thereof is not particularly shown, but the CPU, ROM, RA
M, a driver circuit, and the like.

In the display unit 31, the internal display control unit 17 sequentially reads the display data from the VRAM 18 and transfers the data to the display unit 19 while performing gradation conversion and the like. In addition, the display control unit 17 controls the CPU 10 to VRA.
Bus control is also performed so that access to M18 does not conflict with access to transfer data from VRAM 18 to display unit 19. Further, it is also possible to perform a logical operation such as AND (logical product), OR (logical sum), EXOR (exclusive logical sum) with a preset pattern on the contents of the VRAM 18.

In the backlight unit 32, the backlight 21 is a light-emitting body arranged on the back side of the display unit (LCD) 19 so that the display unit 19 can be seen indoors or in the dark, and EL (electroluminescence) is provided. , CF
Systems such as L (cold-cathode tube) have been realized. The backlight driver 20 is a circuit that supplies electric power for driving the backlight 21. This backlight unit 32 is
It is necessary when the display unit 19 is a liquid crystal, and is not necessary when the display unit 19 is other, such as a CRT or a plasma display.

Card interface (I / F) 23
Is a facsimile card for communicating data through a telephone line with a ROM card for adding application programs and various data, a RAM card used for backup of expansion memory and various data, and a memory card such as a flash card for backup and adding data. , Modem card, LAN card that can be connected to the network, etc.
/ O card can be inserted. As the interface standard, the 68-pin interface standardized by JEIDA / PCMCIA is becoming the standard. Card control unit 2
Reference numeral 2 controls input / output of data between the CPU 10 and the card.

The communication controller 24 is a controller for communicating data in the SDLC format. Reference numeral 41 is a keyboard for inputting data from the user, and 40 is a keyboard control unit for controlling data input / output of the keyboard 41. Further, 43 is a mouse, and 42 is a mouse control unit for controlling input of data from the mouse 43. Reference numeral 26 is a power control unit that controls power supply to each unit.

Next, the power supply control of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The DC-DC converter 52 includes a battery 51,
The power supply voltage supplied from any of the AC adapters 50 is the voltage used in the main body (for example, +5 for digital circuits,
+ 12V for backlight driver, LC of display unit 19
It is converted to -24V for D drive.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, electric power is independently supplied to each unit, and the power is turned on / off for each unit.
It can be turned off. In addition to the above-mentioned units, the unit configuration of this embodiment includes a CPU 10 and a peripheral controller 1.
1, a CPU / memory unit 53 including the memory unit 12, and an HDD unit including the HDD 13.

However, the CPU memory unit 53 cannot turn on / off the power supply by itself, and is always turned on when the apparatus is turned on. Backlight unit 32
Includes a backlight driver 20, and is supplied with a power supply voltage of + 12V. The display unit 31 includes the display controller 1
7, VRAM 18 is included. HDD unit is HDD1
3, the digitizer unit 30 includes a digitizer control unit 14, a digitizer 16, and an input pen 15, and the communication unit 34 includes a communication control unit 24 and a communication interface 25, all of which have a power supply voltage of + 5V.
Is being supplied. Similarly, + 5V is supplied to the card unit 33, the keyboard unit 35, and the mouse unit 36. In addition, the display unit 31 is supplied with −24V as a voltage for driving the LCD.

Power is supplied to these various functional units through switches 54 to 61 included in the power supply control unit 26. Each of these switches 54 to 61 has a one-to-one correspondence with each unit. As a result, by turning off the corresponding switch, it is possible to stop the power supply to the corresponding unit, thereby stopping the function. The on / off control of these switches 54 to 61 is performed by the CPU through the peripheral controller 11.
10 do. These switches 54 to 61 may be mechanical electric elements such as electromagnetic relays and reed switches, or semiconductor switches such as MOS-FETs.

The processing operation according to this embodiment will be described below. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the palm sensors 70 and 71 formed on the keyboard 41 operate so as to stop the operation of the other input device when both the palm sensors 70 and 71 detect the shield.

<Description of Processing Operation> FIG. 1 shows the first embodiment of the present invention.
In the flowchart which shows the flow of the processing operation in the information processing apparatus of the embodiment, the control program for executing this processing is stored in the memory unit 12 and executed under the control of the CPU 10. Hereinafter, description will be given with reference to this figure.

This processing is carried out at regular time intervals such as 10 ms. The control of this time interval is
This is performed by causing the CPU 10 to generate an interrupt signal by the timer 44 configured by software or hardware.

First, in step S100, the output of the left palm sensor 70 is detected. LED8 of this sensor 70
The driving such as 1 is performed only in this step in order to reduce the power consumption by the sensor 70. Next, step S101.
Then, similarly to step S100, the output of the right palm sensor 71 is detected. In the following step S102,
It is determined whether both the palm sensors 70 and 71 outputs are turned on, that is, whether both hands are placed on the keyboard 41.

In step S102, the keyboard 4 is held by both hands.
If it is determined that the device is placed on the first unit, the process proceeds to step S103, and if not, the process proceeds to step S104. In step S103, since both hands of the operator are placed on the keyboard 41, the operation of another input device is stopped. That is, the power supply control unit 26 is controlled to stop the power supply to the digitizer unit 30 and the mouse unit 36, and the process ends.

On the other hand, in step S104, another input device may be used with both hands of the operator not resting on the keyboard 41. Therefore, the power supply control unit 2
6 is controlled to supply electric power to the digitizer unit 30 and the mouse unit 36, and the process ends.

By the above control, the palm sensor 70,
If both 71 detect a shield (palm),
Power consumption can be suppressed by stopping the power supply to other input devices.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
When the user's operation is detected and it is determined that both hands are used for data input from the keyboard 41, the power supply to the remaining input devices is stopped and their operations are stopped, whereby It is possible to reduce power consumption without deteriorating the operability of.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment but can be widely applied. For example, other input devices are not only digitizers and mice, but also numeric keyboards (numeric keys), handy scanners, bar code readers, and other switches.
Any input device other than the keyboard may be used.

[Second Embodiment] In the above-described first embodiment, the process of stopping the operation of the remaining input device when both hands of the operator are placed on the keyboard 41 has been described. However, in addition to using such a single input device, a plurality of input devices may be used simultaneously. For example, data may be input to the keyboard 41 with the remaining one hand while designating the input position with the mouse.
It is also possible to control reading by the scanner with the keyboard 41 while scanning the document with the handy scanner.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, the number of input devices used is detected so that the number of input devices is at least 2.
If one is used, it operates to stop the operation of the other input device.

<Description of Configuration (FIG. 6)> The configuration of the information processing apparatus of the second embodiment is almost the same as the configuration of the first embodiment described above, and the description of the same parts will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, each input unit is provided with a power saving mechanism such as operation of an internal circuit and clock control. Each input unit operates only the minimum input detection mechanism in the power saving mode and stops the operation of the remaining part. Then, when there is data input, the input detection mechanism detects this and restores the function of the part that has stopped operating.

Further, in order to control the transition of the input device to the power saving mode, a plurality of timers 44 corresponding to each input device are prepared. When each of these timers has finished measuring the set time value, the CPU 10
Generates an interrupt signal to the. As a result, the CPU1
0 can determine which input device shifts to the power saving mode.

Further, in the second embodiment, the memory section 12 is provided with a status byte for storing the status of the input device. The contents of this status byte are shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, the status byte 87 is
For example, it is composed of 8 bits, and each bit corresponds to each of the input devices connected to this device. For example, bit 2 corresponds to the mouse 43 and bit 3 corresponds to the digitizer 16. Then, when the corresponding input device is used, "1" is written in the corresponding bit, and when it is not used, it is "0".

<Description of Processing Operation (FIGS. 7 to 9)> The operation of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

First, the overall processing flow will be described.

In this embodiment, the time after the input is performed by each input device is measured for each input device, and when the idle (non-use) state continues for a certain time, the input device is set to the power saving mode. Move to. In the input device, the time from the input operation being performed to the shift to the power saving mode is considered to be in use.

On the other hand, an interrupt signal is generated at regular time intervals to detect the usage status of each input device. As a result, if the number of input devices in use is two or less, no processing is performed and the measurement of each idle time is continued. When the number of input devices in use exceeds two, the two input devices activated last are left and the other input devices are shifted to the power saving mode. This is because the operator is based on the premise that the maximum number of input devices used at one time is two.

Next, a specific processing operation will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing when an input is made from each input device. The process of FIG. 11 is performed commonly to all of the input devices such as the keyboard 41, the mouse 43, and the digitizer 16.

First, in step S300, data is input from the input device. For example, in the case of the keyboard 41, the pressed key data is read, and in the case of the mouse 43, the designated coordinates are read. Then step S
Proceeding to step 301, the corresponding bit of the status byte 87 of the memory section 12 is set to store that the input device is in use. Then, the process proceeds to step S302, the timer corresponding to the input device is set to an initial value, the time counting by the timer is started, and the process is ended.

When a certain input device is used by the above processing, the status byte 87 corresponding to the input device is used.
When the bit of is set, the clocking of a predetermined time (clocking by the timer 44) corresponding to the input device is started.

Next, referring to FIG. 8, the processing when the timer 44 finishes measuring time will be described. Here, the fact that the timer 44 has finished measuring the predetermined time means that the input device has not been used for the predetermined time set in the timer 44. That is, when the input device is used many times at a certain time interval, the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is activated each time, and the time value is set in the timer 44 in step S302.
The timer 44 does not end timing (timeout).

In step S303, the input device is set to the power saving mode. This is status byte 8
7 "1" bit and used timer 44
It is decided based on. Next, in step S304,
The corresponding bit of the status bit 87 is cleared to "0" and the processing is ended.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing which is activated by an interrupt signal from the timer 44 and detects the usage status of each input device. A control program for executing this process is stored in the memory unit 12, and the CP
It is executed under the control of U10.

First, in step S305, the status byte 87 is read from the memory section 12. Next, in step S306, it is determined whether or not there are three or more bits in which "1" is set in the status byte 87. If three or more, the process ends in step S307. If not, the process ends.

In step S307, the time value of the timer 44 of the input device in use is read. In the following step S308, the time count value of the timer 44 is used to sort the most recently operated input devices in order, and the operation order of the input devices is determined. Next in step S30
In step 9, the other input devices except the two most recently accessed input devices are shifted to the power saving mode. Next, proceeding to step S310, the status bit corresponding to the input device that has entered the power saving mode is cleared to "0", and the process ends.

By the above control, when two or more input devices are used, by stopping the operation of the other input devices other than the two most recently operated input devices,
There is an effect that power can be saved without lowering operability.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the number of input devices used is detected, and when two or more input devices are used, the use of other input devices is stopped. You can With this, it is possible to enter the power saving mode before performing the idle time control of the input device alone,
It is possible to reduce power consumption without reducing operability.

In this embodiment, the status byte, the timer and the like are used to detect the usage status of each input device, but the following configuration may be adopted. For example, a light, pressure, temperature sensor or the like may be provided for each input device, and the time when the user is touching the input device may be measured by a timer or the like to determine the usage state of each input device. .

[Third Embodiment] There is an input device such as an input pen (digitizer) or a mouse for inputting coordinates by pointing, and these are generally called pointing devices. There is. In many cases, one pointing device has a plurality of types, but it is rare that a plurality of pointing devices are used at the same time. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the input state of the pointing device is detected, and when an input is made from one pointing device, the operation of the other pointing device is stopped. The configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

<Explanation of Processing Operation (FIG. 10)> FIG.
It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the input process of 3rd Example of this invention, the control program which performs this process is memorize | stored in the memory part 12, and it is executed under control of CPU10.

First, in step S200, initialization such as initialization of the input device and the display device is performed. Step S
In 201, the screen is refreshed at the same time while waiting for input data from a certain input device. In the following step S202, it is determined whether or not there is an input from the input device, and if there is no input, the process returns to the input waiting of step S201.

On the other hand, when there is an input in step S202, the process proceeds to step S203, and it is determined whether or not the input is made by the digitizer 16, and if so, step S204.
If NO, the process proceeds to step S207. Step S
At 204, the power supply controller 26 is controlled to stop the power supply to the mouse unit 36. In the following step S205, the data from the digitizer 16 is input, and based on the stroke data input from the digitizer 16, for example, a device that performs online character recognition performs character recognition and then outputs the recognition result. Continued Step S20
6, the power control unit 26 is controlled to control the mouse unit 36.
Power is turned on, and the process returns to the input waiting state of step S201.

On the other hand, in step S207, it is determined whether the input is from the mouse 43. If the input is from the mouse 43, the process proceeds to step S208. If not, the process proceeds to step S208.
Proceed to 211. In step S208, the power supply control unit 2
6 is controlled to stop the power supply to the digitizer unit 30. In the following step S209, the coordinate data from the mouse 43 is input, and in the following step S210, the power of the digitizer unit 30 is turned on, and then the process returns to the input waiting state of step S201.

In the remaining step S211, it is determined whether the input is from the keyboard 41, and if so, the step S21
If not, the process proceeds to step S201 to wait for input. In step S212, data is input from the keyboard 41 and the process proceeds to step S201.

By the above control, when one pointing device is used, the operation of the other pointing device is stopped, so that the power consumption can be reduced without lowering the operability.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but may have the following configurations.

For example, each input unit may be provided with a power saving mechanism such as operation of an internal circuit and clock control. In this case, in the power saving mode, each unit operates only the minimum input detection mechanism and stops the operation of the remaining part. Then, when there is an input, the input detection mechanism detects this and automatically restores the function of the unit.

In such a case, the process of FIG. 10 can be simplified as described below. That is, in step S204 and step S208, a command to shift each unit to the power saving mode is output instead of stopping the power supply. Further, the processes of step S206 and step S210 are unnecessary, and the process can directly proceed from step S205 and step S209 to step S201.

According to the above, when one pointing device is used, the other pointing device shifts to the power saving mode, and the operation is stopped until the pointing device itself is operated and input is made. The state is maintained, and power consumption can be further reduced.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device. The present invention can also be applied to the case where it is achieved by supplying a program for implementing the present invention to a system or an apparatus.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the use state of each input device can be detected and the input device which is not likely to be used can be shifted to the power saving mode, the operability is not deteriorated. This has the effect of reducing power consumption.

[0083]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce power consumption without lowering operability.

Further, according to the present invention, the power supply to the input section which is unlikely to be used is suppressed based on the operation by the operator, so that it is possible to shift to the power saving mode without lowering the operability. .

Further, according to the present invention, when one of the input sections of the same type is used, it is determined that the other of the input sections of the same type is unlikely to be used, and the operability is reduced. It can operate in power saving mode without inviting.

[0086]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing control of interrupt processing of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a palm sensor of the information processing apparatus in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic circuit configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating power supply control of the information processing apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a structure of a status byte of an information processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing control of input processing of the information processing apparatus in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing control of timer count-up (timeout) processing of the information processing apparatus in the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing control of interrupt processing of the information processing apparatus in the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing control of input processing of the information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 CPU 11 Peripheral Controller 12 Memory Section 14 Digitizer Control Section 15 Input Pen 16 Digitizer 19 Display Section 26 Power Control Section 35 Keyboard Unit 36 Mouse Unit 40 Keyboard Control Section 41 Keyboard 43 Mouse 44 Timer 50 AC Adapter 51 Battery 54 to 61 Switch 70 Palm sensor (left) 71 Palm sensor (right) 87 Status byte

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Eisaku Tatsumi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Shigeki Mori 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Katsuhiko Nagasaki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Ryoji Fukuda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 72) Inventor Takashi Harada 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of input units that are operated by an operator to input various data, a detection unit that detects a usage status in at least one of the plurality of input units, and a detection result of the detection unit. A determining unit that determines a possibility that each of the plurality of input units is used, and a power saving unit that suppresses power supply to an input unit that is less likely to be used, according to a determination result of the determining unit. An information processing apparatus comprising: 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects that any one of the plurality of input units is operated with both hands. 3. When the detecting unit detects that one of the plurality of input units is operated by both hands, the determining unit determines that the remaining input units are unlikely to be used. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: 4. The detecting means has a clocking means for clocking a time during which the input unit is not operated continuously for a predetermined time or more, and the use condition is determined by whether the time measured by the clocking means is a predetermined time or more. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus detects the information. 5. When the detection unit detects that at least two or more of the plurality of input units are used, it is determined that the remaining input units are unlikely to be used. The information processing device according to claim 1. 6. When the detection unit detects that at least two or more of the plurality of input units are used, it is unlikely that the other than the two most recently operated input units are used. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus determines. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the input unit used is a pointing device, the power saving unit suppresses power supply to another pointing device. 8. A step of detecting a use condition of at least one of a plurality of input sections operated by an operator to input various data, and each of the plurality of input sections is used according to the detection result. An information processing method, comprising: a step of determining a possibility that the input will be changed; and a step of suppressing power supply to an input section that is unlikely to be used according to the determination result. 9. A step of detecting whether any one of a plurality of input sections operated by an operator to input various data is operated with both hands, and any one of the plurality of input sections is operated with both hands. If it is detected that the remaining input unit is unlikely to be used, a step of suppressing the power supply to the input unit that is less likely to be used, depending on the judgment result. An information processing method comprising: 10. A step of detecting a usage condition of each of a plurality of input sections operated by an operator to input various data, and a step of measuring a time during which the input section is continuously operated for a predetermined time or more, The step of detecting the usage status depending on whether the timed time is a predetermined time or more, the step of judging the possibility of using each of the plurality of input sections according to the detection result, and the judgment result Accordingly, a step of suppressing power supply to an input unit that is unlikely to be used, is provided. 11. A step of detecting that at least two or more of a plurality of input sections operated by an operator to input various data are used, and when at least two or more input sections are used, The method is characterized by comprising a step of determining that the remaining input section is unlikely to be used, and a step of suppressing power supply to the input section that is unlikely to be used according to the determination result. Information processing method. 12. A step of detecting that at least two or more of a plurality of input sections operated by an operator to input various data are used, and when at least two or more input sections are used, A step of determining that there is a low possibility that other than the two most recently operated input sections will be used, and a step of suppressing power supply to an input section that is unlikely to be used according to the result of the determination. An information processing method comprising: