JP2001119476A - Mobil telephone set and power-saving method, and recording medium recording its control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile telephone set that reduces consumption of its battery so as to extend a waiting time and a speech time. SOLUTION: When deciding shift to a power-saving mode, a control section 15 sets a time from a final contact of a user with a contact sensor 14 until shift to the power-saving mode to a timer 17. The control section 15 after that discriminates that the user is not in contact with the contact sensor 14, shifts to the power-saving mode when deciding expiration of the timer 17, and controls a power supply control section 18 to interrupt power supply to a display section 20 or the like. When the control section 15 decides that the user is in contact with the contact sensor 14 after the shift to the power-saving mode, the control section 15 shifts to a usual mode and controls the power supply control section 18 to supply power to the display section 20 or the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable telephone, a power saving method used therefor, and a recording medium storing a control program therefor, and more particularly to a method of supplying power to the portable telephone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a portable telephone, a display such as an out-of-service display is always performed irrespective of whether or not the user is looking at the portable telephone.
(AlDisplay) and the like, so that power is always supplied to components of the display unit, which causes battery consumption.

According to the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-190786, when a person holds a hand during a call and detects that the earpiece is touching his ear, power supply to an LCD or the like is stopped. ing.

[0004]

In the conventional portable telephone described above, in the case of the technology described in the above-mentioned publication, when a person is holding a hand during a call and it is sensed that the earpiece is touching his ear, L is detected.
Although the power supply to the CD and the like is stopped, in the standby state, the display such as the out-of-service display is always performed regardless of whether or not the user is watching, so that the power supply to the display unit such as the LCD is performed. There is a problem that the operation is always performed and the battery is consumed.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, reduce the battery consumption, and extend the standby time and the talk time, a power saving method used therefor, and its control. It is to provide a recording medium on which a program is recorded.

[0006]

A portable telephone according to the present invention is a portable telephone including at least display means for displaying various information, wherein a sensor means for sensing that a human body is in contact with a housing, and a main body. A power saving mode instructing to minimize the power supply to the housing is set, and when the sensor means does not detect contact with the housing, the power supply to unnecessary parts that are not currently used is controlled to be cut off. Control means.

[0007] A power saving method for a portable telephone according to the present invention comprises:
A power saving method for a mobile phone including at least display means for displaying various kinds of information, wherein sensor means for detecting that a human body is in contact with a housing does not detect contact with the housing and causes the body to The method includes a step of cutting off the power supply to unnecessary parts that are not currently used when the power saving mode instructing to minimize the power is set.

The recording medium storing the power saving control program for a mobile phone according to the present invention shifts to a power saving mode for instructing the mobile phone including at least display means for displaying various information to minimize the power supply to the main body. A storage medium storing a power saving control program for causing the mobile phone to contact the housing with sensor means for detecting that a human body is in contact with the housing. When the power saving mode is set without being sensed, the power supply to unnecessary parts that are not currently used is cut off.

That is, the portable telephone of the present invention is provided with a sensor for detecting that the user holds the housing in his / her hand. , At least unnecessary parts other than the function of detecting an incoming call, such as LC
By turning off the power to the D and the like, it is possible to reduce the consumption of the battery, and it is possible to lengthen the standby time and the talk time.

More specifically, the portable telephone of the present invention includes a sensor for detecting whether the user holds the portable telephone, and this sensor is provided, for example, by installing two conductors on the side of the casing of the portable telephone. When a user's hand touches two conductors at the same time, it senses the current passed through the human body to recognize whether the user has the hand.

In the portable telephone of the present invention, when the operation mode is the normal mode, it is determined whether or not to shift to the power saving mode. Whether to shift to the power saving mode is determined by a user setting or by a condition such as whether or not power is supplied from the outside.

[0012] If it is determined to shift to the power saving mode,
A timer is set from when the user last touched the sensor to when the user transits to the power saving mode. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the user is touching the sensor, and if so, the timer is reset.

If the user is not touching the sensor, it is determined whether the timer has expired. If the timer has not expired, control returns to determining whether the user is in contact with the sensor and monitors contact with the sensor. When the timer expires, the mode shifts to the power saving mode, and the power supply to, for example, the LCD is turned off at least. After the shift to the power saving mode, the contact with the sensor is monitored, and when it is determined that the user has touched the sensor, the mode is shifted to the normal mode, and for example, the power of the LCD or the like is turned on.

As described above, by stopping the power supply to the LCD and the like when the user is not using it, it is possible to reduce the consumption of the battery, and it is possible to lengthen the standby time and the talk time. Becomes

[0015]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a mobile phone 1 includes an antenna 10, a transmitting unit 11,
A receiving unit 12, an operation key unit 13, a contact sensor 14,
The control unit 15, the memory 16, the timer 17, the power supply control unit 18, the display control unit 19, and the display unit (for example, an LCD)
Etc.) 20, a transmitter 21, and a receiver 22.

The transmission section 11 transmits a dial signal from the control section 15 and a transmission signal from the transmitter 21 via the antenna 10. The receiving unit 12 transmits the call signal received via the antenna 10 to the control unit 15 and the reception signal to the receiver 2.
Send to 2.

The operation key section 13 inputs a dial number and the like. The contact sensor 14 detects whether or not the user has the housing of the mobile phone 1, that is, whether or not the user is in contact with the side surface of the housing of the mobile phone 1.

The control unit 15 controls each unit by executing a program recorded in the memory 16. The memory 16 records a program executed by the control unit 15, a dial number of a destination, and the like. The timer 17 measures the current time and the like.

The power control unit 18 supplies power from a battery or the like (not shown) to each unit under the control of the control unit 15. The display control unit 19 causes the display unit 20 to display dial numbers and the like during transmission and reception. The transmitter 21 converts the voice signal of the user into a transmission signal and transmits the signal to the transmission unit 11. The receiver 22 is the receiving unit 1
The received speech signal received in step 2 is converted into a voice signal and transmitted to the outside.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portable telephone according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
The contact sensor 14 for detecting whether or not the user holds the housing is composed of two conductors arranged on the side surface of the housing of the mobile phone 1.

That is, the contact sensor 14 has two hands.
By sensing the current passing through the human body when the book conductors are simultaneously touched, it is possible to recognize whether or not the user is holding the housing of the mobile phone 1 in his or her hand.

In FIG. 2, two conductors are provided on one side of the housing of the mobile phone 1 to form the contact sensor 14. However, the place where the contact sensor 14 is provided does not need to be on the side of the housing. In addition, the installation place may be a plurality of places, for example, both sides of the housing. The number of conductors to be installed does not need to be two, and for example, one conductor may be installed on each of both housing side surfaces.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the mobile phone 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a transition method of the mobile phone 1 between the normal mode and the power saving mode. The transition method between the normal mode and the power saving mode of the mobile phone 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The processing operation shown in FIG. 3 is realized by the control unit 15 executing a program recorded in the memory 16, and the memory 16 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), an IC (Integrated Circuit) memory, and the like. Can be used.

When a power-on signal is input from the operation key unit 13, the control unit 15 controls the power control unit 18 to turn on the power of the main body, and sets the operation mode to the normal mode first (step S1 in FIG. 3). .

Thereafter, the control unit 15 determines whether or not to shift to the power saving mode (step S2 in FIG. 3). Whether to shift to the power saving mode is determined not only by the setting of the user but also by conditions such as whether or not power is supplied from the outside.

When the control unit 15 determines that the operation mode does not shift to the power saving mode, the control unit 15 terminates the control for the operation mode and shifts to the standby state. When the control unit 15 determines to shift to the power saving mode, the timer 17 sets a time (predetermined fixed time) from the last contact of the user with the contact sensor 14 to the shift to the power saving mode ( FIG. 3 step S3).

Further, the control unit 15 determines whether the user is in contact with the contact sensor 14 (step S in FIG. 3).
4) If it is determined that the user is in contact with the contact sensor 14, the process returns to step S3 to reset the timer 17.

Further, the control unit 15 allows the user to operate the contact sensor 1.
If it is determined that the contact has not been made, the timer 17 measures the above-mentioned predetermined time and determines whether the timer 17 has expired (step S5 in FIG. 3). When the control unit 15 determines that the timer 17 has not expired, the control unit 15 returns to step S4 to monitor the user for contact with the contact sensor 14.

When the control unit 15 determines that the timer 17 has expired, the control unit 15 shifts to a power saving mode (step S6 in FIG. 3), and controls the power control unit 18 to at least use unnecessary parts, such as the display unit 20 and the like, which are not currently used. The power supply to the power supply is cut off.

After shifting to the power saving mode, the control unit 15 further monitors the contact of the user with the contact sensor 14 (step S7 in FIG. 3), and if it is determined that the user has contacted the contact sensor 14, the control proceeds to step S1. Returning to the normal mode, the power control unit 18 is controlled to supply power to, for example, the display unit 20.

As described above, by providing the contact sensor 14 for detecting that the user holds the housing of the mobile phone 1 in his / her hand, when the user does not hold the housing, for example, in a pocket or bag. By turning off the power to parts that are not necessary for detecting an incoming call such as the display unit 20 when the power is on, battery consumption can be reduced, and standby time and call time can be prolonged.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the contact sensor 14
Employs a method of recognizing the current flowing between conductors through the human body.For example, when a user holds a hand, the push button switch is placed just in touch with the hand, or the pressure when holding the housing It is also possible to install a pressure sensor or the like for detecting the pressure, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, a portable telephone including at least display means for displaying various information is provided with a sensor means for detecting that a human body is in contact with a housing, and a main body. By setting a power saving mode to instruct the battery to minimize power, and turning off power to unnecessary parts that are not currently in use when sensor means does not detect contact with the housing, This has the effect of reducing consumption and extending standby time and call time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mobile phone according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of the mobile phone 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cellular phone 10 Antenna 11 Transmitting part 12 Receiving part 13 Operation key part 14 Contact sensor 15 Control part 16 Memory 17 Timer 18 Power supply control part 19 Display control part 20 Display part 21 Speaker 22 Receiver

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A mobile phone including at least display means for displaying various information, a sensor means for detecting that a human body is in contact with a housing, and an instruction for minimizing a power supply to a main body. Control means for controlling power supply to unnecessary parts which are not currently used when power saving mode is set and the sensor means does not detect contact with the housing. Phone. 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the sensor unit does not detect contact with the housing for a preset time, the control unit cuts off power supply to the unnecessary part. 1. The mobile phone according to 1. 3. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the control unit turns off power supply to at least the display unit. 4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller supplies power to the unnecessary portion when the sensor detects contact with the housing after the power supply to the unnecessary portion is cut off. The mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sensor means comprises at least two conductors provided on at least one side surface of said housing and for sensing a current passed through a human body. The mobile phone according to claim 4. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sensor means comprises first and second conductors respectively provided on both side surfaces of said housing and for sensing a current passed through a human body. The mobile phone according to claim 4. 7. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein said sensor means comprises a member for sensing that said casing is being gripped. 8. A power saving method for a mobile phone including at least display means for displaying various kinds of information, wherein the sensor means for detecting that a human body is in contact with the housing detects the contact with the housing. And a step of cutting off power supply to unnecessary parts that are not currently used when a power saving mode for instructing to minimize power to the main body is set. 9. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of turning off the power supply comprises turning off the power supply to the unnecessary portion when the sensor means does not detect contact with the housing for a preset time. The power saving method according to claim 8, wherein: 10. The step of turning off the power supply,
10. The power saving method according to claim 8, wherein power supply to at least the display unit is turned off. 11. A step of switching to a normal mode for supplying power to the unnecessary portion when the sensor detects contact with the housing after the power supply to the unnecessary portion is cut off. The power saving method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein: 12. A recording medium storing a power saving control program for causing a mobile phone including at least display means for displaying various information to shift to a power saving mode for instructing to minimize power to the main body. The power saving control program is used by the mobile phone when the power saving mode is set when contact with the housing is not detected by sensor means for detecting that a human body is in contact with the housing. A recording medium on which a power saving control program is recorded, wherein power supply to unnecessary portions not performed is cut off.