CN103064491A - Electronic device and method of controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device and a method of controlling the electronic device, the device including a central processing unit, a power manager, a detection unit, a timer, and a controller. When detecting that the central processing unit enters a sleep mode or a shutdown mode, the detection unit generates an initialization signal. After receiving the initialization signal, the timer starts to count a predetermined time. When the predetermined time expires, the timer generates an enable signal, and when the predetermined time does not expire, the timer generates a disable signal. When receiving the enable signal, the controller starts the power manager, and when receiving the disable signal, the controller closes the power manager. The invention can prohibit the electronic device from being restarted in a set time, thereby protecting the eyes of a user and avoiding overuse.

Description

Electronic device and method of controlling electronic device

technical field

The invention relates to an electronic device, in particular to an electronic device which can avoid prolonged use and protect eyes and a method for controlling the electronic device.

Background technique

With the advancement of technology, TVs, personal computers, tablet computers, and video game consoles have become very popular. These electronic devices with displays bring convenience and fun to life, but also have adverse effects on human health. For example, long-term use of computers and televisions can cause irreversible damage to people's eyesight, and also cause eye diseases such as myopia and astigmatism.

Among families, children are the most likely to be addicted to computer games. Even if parents limit their children's computer usage time, children may still secretly turn on the computer to play while the parents are away. Existing computers cannot prevent children from turning on the computer by themselves.

Contents of the invention

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an electronic device and a method for controlling the electronic device, which can be used to protect eyes and avoid prolonged use.

The present invention provides an electronic device, including a central processing unit, used to control the operation of the electronic device; a power manager, used to provide power; a detection unit, coupled to the central processing unit, when the detection unit detects When the above-mentioned central processing unit enters a sleep mode or a shutdown mode, an initialization signal is generated; a timer, coupled to the detection unit, starts counting a first predetermined time after receiving the initialization signal, and when the above-mentioned first When a predetermined time expires, an enabling signal is generated, and when the first predetermined time has not expired, a disabling signal is generated; and a controller, coupled to the power manager and the timer, when When the enable signal is received, the power manager is started, and when the disable signal is received, the power manager is turned off.

The present invention also provides a method for controlling an electronic device, including: generating an initialization signal when detecting that the electronic device enters a sleep mode or a power-off mode; using the initialization signal to control a timer to start counting a first Predetermined time; when the above-mentioned first predetermined time expires, then generate a enable signal to start a power manager of the above-mentioned electronic device; and when the above-mentioned first predetermined time has not yet expired, then generate a disabling signal to close the above-mentioned The above-mentioned power manager of an electronic device.

The invention can prohibit the restarting of the electronic device for a certain period of time, which can not only protect the user's eyes (especially for children with insufficient self-control ability), but also avoid excessive use.

Description of drawings

【A brief description of the attached picture】

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3B is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a method for controlling an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a flow chart showing a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a flowchart showing a method for controlling an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6C is a flowchart showing a method for controlling an electronic device according to yet another embodiment of the invention.

[Description of main reference signs]

100, 200, 310, 320, 330～electronic devices;

110～central processing unit;

120～power manager;

130～detection unit;

132～General input and output;

140～timer;

150～controller;

160 ~ computer readable medium;

162 ~ application program;

170～emergency start button;

180～AC power supply;

190 ~ lithium battery;

220, 331～main board;

400, 500, 610, 620, 630～flow chart;

SC1, SC2～control signal;

SD～disabling signal;

SE～enabling signal;

SN～initialization signal;

SX～emergency start signal;

UI ~ user input.

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The electronic device 100 may be a personal computer (personal computer, PC), a notebook computer (notebook), a tablet computer (tablet PC), a TV, or a video game console. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic device 100 may include: a central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU) 110, a power manager (power manager) 120, a detection unit (detecting unit) 130, a timer (timer) 140, and a control device 150. The central processing unit 110 is used to control the operation of the electronic device 100 . The power manager 120 is used to provide and control the power of the electronic device 100. When the power manager 120 is activated, the electronic device 100 can be turned on; and when the power manager 120 is turned off, the electronic device 100 cannot be turned on. The detection unit 130 is coupled to the central processing unit 110, and the detection unit 130 can be a chipset, a North bridge chip (North bridge), a South bridge chip (South bridge), a PCH chip, an FCH chip, an output input chip (Super IO), an embedded Embedded Controller or any component that can detect and send out a signal.

When the detection unit 130 detects that the central processing unit 110 or the electronic device 100 enters the sleep mode or the shutdown mode from the power-on mode, it immediately generates the initialization signal SN. The timer 140 is coupled to the detection unit 130 . After receiving the initialization signal SN, the timer 140 starts counting a first predetermined time (for example: 5 hours). The timer 140 may be a counter for counting a predetermined number of times so as to count the first predetermined time. When the first predetermined time has not expired, the timer 140 generates the disable signal SD; and when the first predetermined time expires, the timer 140 instead generates the enable signal SE. The controller 150 is coupled to the timer 140 and the power manager 120 . The controller 150 is used to control the power manager 120. When the controller 150 receives the enable signal SE, it generates a control signal SC1 to start the power manager 120, so that the electronic device 100 can be started normally; and when the controller 150 receives the When the disable signal SD is used, the control signal SC2 is generated to shut down the power manager 120 so that the electronic device 100 cannot be turned on.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the electronic device 200 includes: a central processing unit 110 , a power manager 120 , a detection unit 130 , a timer 140 , a controller 150 , and a computer readable medium 160 . In some embodiments, the central processing unit 110, the power manager 120, the detection unit 130, the timer 140, and the controller 150 can all be arranged on a motherboard (mother board) 220, and the detection unit 130 can be configured through a general-purpose input and output (General Purpose I/O, GPIO) 132, transmit initialization signal SN to timer 140. In other embodiments, the detection unit 130 may also transmit the initialization signal SN to the timer 140 through a firmware register.

The computer-readable medium 160 can be a hard disk, memory, or optical disc, and stores an application program (application program) 162 . When the central processing unit 110 executes the application program 160, the application program 160 can adjust the above-mentioned first preset time according to a user input UI. In addition, when the central processing unit 110 operates in the power-on mode and executes the application program 160, the application program 160 can also command the central processing unit 110 or the electronic device 200 to operate within a second predetermined time (for example: 30 minutes) according to the user input UI. After that, enter hibernation mode or shutdown mode.

After the timer 140 starts timing, the controller 150 shuts down the power manager 120 within the first predetermined time, and the electronic devices 100 and 200 cannot be turned on normally within the first predetermined time. The present invention also provides some devices and methods, so that the electronic device can still be forced to start in an emergency.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device 310 according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 3A , the electronic device 310 further includes an emergency power-on button 170 coupled to the detection unit 130 . In any case, when the user presses the emergency power button 170, the detection unit 130 can immediately generate the emergency power signal SX, so that the timer 140 stops counting and can only generate the enable signal SE. At this time, the controller 150 receives the enable signal SE, thus generates the control signal SC1 and activates the power manager 120 . It is worth noting that the emergency power-on button 170 can be set in a hidden place to prevent unsuitable users (such as children) from finding it easily. In some embodiments, the emergency power-on button 170 can be disposed on the bottom or the back of the electronic device 310 . In other embodiments, the emergency power-on button 170 can also be replaced by a remote-controlled emergency power-on device (for example: an infrared receiving module, when the user presses an emergency button on a remote controller, the infrared receiving module can receive remote control The infrared signal generated by the detector immediately makes the detection unit 130 generate an emergency start signal SX).

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device 320 according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3B , the electronic device 320 further includes an AC power supply (AC power supply) 180 coupled to the timer 140 . In any case, when the AC power supply 180 stops supplying power (for example: the user unplugs the power socket of the electronic device 320 first, and then plugs it in again), the timer 140 will be forced to stop counting, and can only generate an enable Signal SE. At this time, the controller 150 receives the enable signal SE, thus generates the control signal SC1 and activates the power manager 120 .

FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram showing an electronic device 330 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3C , the electronic device 330 further includes a lithium battery 190 disposed on the motherboard 331 and coupled to the timer 140 . In any case, when the lithium battery 190 is removed (eg, the user can manually remove the lithium battery 190 ), the timer 140 will be forced to stop counting and can only generate the enable signal SE. At this time, the controller 150 receives the enable signal SE, thus generates the control signal SC1 and activates the power manager 120 .

FIG. 4 is a flowchart 400 showing a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 4 , firstly, at step S410 , it is determined whether the electronic device enters into a sleep mode or a shutdown mode. If so, in step S420, an initialization signal is generated to control a timer to start counting the first predetermined time. Then, in step S430, it is determined whether the first predetermined time has expired? If not, in step S440, generate a disabling signal to turn off the power manager of the electronic device, so that the electronic device cannot be started normally, and then return to step S430; if so, in step S450, generate a disabling signal to activate the power supply of the electronic device The manager enables the electronic device to start up normally, and the process ends.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 illustrating a method for controlling an electronic device according to another embodiment of the invention. The flowchart 500 is similar to the flowchart 400, the only difference is that the flowchart 500 also includes steps S402, S404 and S406. As shown in FIG. 5 , in step S402 , the electronic device is operated in a power-on mode. Next, in step S404, the first preset time is adjusted according to the user input through executing the application program for the counter to count. Then, in step S406, by executing the application program, the electronic device enters the sleep mode or the power-off mode after a second preset time according to the user input. The rest of the steps are as described above and will not be described again.

FIG. 6A is a flowchart 610 showing a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. The flowchart 610 is similar to the flowchart 400, the only difference is that the electronic device further includes an emergency power-on button, and the flowchart 610 further includes step S435. In step S430, it is determined whether the first predetermined time has expired. If it has not expired, in step S435, it is determined whether the emergency power-on button of the electronic device is pressed. If the emergency power-on button of the electronic device has been pressed, proceed to step S450, and forcibly activate the power manager of the electronic device; if not, proceed to step S440. The rest of the steps are as described above and will not be described again.

FIG. 6B is a flowchart 620 showing a method for controlling an electronic device according to another embodiment of the invention. The flowchart 620 is similar to the flowchart 400, the only difference is that the electronic device further includes an AC power supply, and the flowchart 620 further includes step S436. In step S430, it is determined whether the first predetermined time has expired. If it has not expired, in step S436, it is determined whether the AC power supply of the electronic device has stopped supplying power. If yes, go to step S450, and forcibly start the power manager of the electronic device; if not, go to step S440. The rest of the steps are as described above and will not be described again.

FIG. 6C is a flowchart 630 showing a method for controlling an electronic device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart 630 is similar to the flowchart 400, the only difference is that the electronic device further includes a lithium battery disposed on a motherboard, and the flowchart 630 further includes step S437. In step S430, it is determined whether the first predetermined time has expired. If it has not expired, in step S437, it is determined whether the lithium battery of the motherboard of the electronic device has been removed. If yes, go to step S450, and forcibly start the power manager of the electronic device; if not, go to step S440. The rest of the steps are as described above and will not be described again.

The electronic device and the method for controlling the electronic device provided by the present invention can prohibit the electronic device from restarting for a certain period of time, which can not only protect the user's eyes (especially for children with insufficient self-control ability), but also avoid excessive use.

Although the present invention is disclosed above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore The scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. electronic installation comprises:

One CPU (central processing unit) is used for controlling the running of above-mentioned electronic installation;

One power supervisor is in order to provide power supply;

One detecting unit is coupled to above-mentioned CPU (central processing unit), when above-mentioned detecting unit detects above-mentioned CPU (central processing unit) and enters a park mode or a shutdown mode, produces an initializing signal;

One timer is coupled to above-mentioned detecting unit, after receiving above-mentioned initializing signal, beginning timing one first given time when above-mentioned the first given time expiration, then produces an activation signal, and when above-mentioned the first given time not yet expires, then produce a disable signal; And

One controller is coupled to above-mentioned power supervisor and above-mentioned timer, when receiving above-mentioned enable signal, then starts above-mentioned power supervisor, and when receiving above-mentioned disable signal, then closes above-mentioned power supervisor.

2. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1 also comprises:

One computer-readable media, in order to store an application program, wherein when above-mentioned CPU (central processing unit) was carried out above-mentioned application program, above-mentioned application program was inputted according to a user, adjusted above-mentioned the first given time.

3. electronic installation as claimed in claim 2, wherein when above-mentioned CPU (central processing unit) operates in a power on mode and carries out above-mentioned application program, above-mentioned application program is inputted according to above-mentioned user, makes above-mentioned CPU (central processing unit) enter above-mentioned park mode or above-mentioned shutdown mode after one second given time.

4. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1 also comprises:

One emergency turning-on key is coupled to above-mentioned detecting unit, and when above-mentioned emergency turning-on key was pressed, above-mentioned detecting unit can produce an emergency turning-on signal so that above-mentioned timer only produces above-mentioned enable signal.

5. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1 also comprises:

One AC power supply is couple to above-mentioned timer, and wherein when above-mentioned AC power supply was stopped power supply, above-mentioned timer was forced to stop and only produces above-mentioned enable signal.

6. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1 also comprises:

One lithium battery is arranged on the motherboard, and is couple to above-mentioned timer, and wherein when above-mentioned lithium battery was removed, above-mentioned timer was forced to stop and only produces above-mentioned enable signal.

One kind control one electronic installation method, comprising:

When detecting above-mentioned electronic installation and enter a park mode or a shutdown mode, produce an initializing signal;

Utilize above-mentioned initializing signal to control a timer and begin timing one first given time;

When above-mentioned the first given time expiration, then produce the power supervisor that an activation signal starts above-mentioned electronic installation; And

When above-mentioned the first given time not yet expires, then produce the above-mentioned power supervisor that a disable signal is closed above-mentioned electronic installation.

8. method as claimed in claim 7 also comprises:

When above-mentioned electronic installation operates in a power on mode, via carrying out an application program, to input to adjust above-mentioned the first given time according to a user.

9. method as claimed in claim 8 also comprises:

When above-mentioned electronic installation operates in above-mentioned power on mode, via above-mentioned application program, make above-mentioned electronic installation after one second given time, enter above-mentioned park mode or above-mentioned shutdown mode according to above-mentioned user's input.

10. method as claimed in claim 7, wherein above-mentioned electronic installation comprises an emergency turning-on key in addition, and said method also comprises:

When the above-mentioned emergency turning-on key of above-mentioned electronic installation is pressed, the above-mentioned power supervisor of the above-mentioned electronic installation of force start.

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