JP2012173579A - Display device and control method of display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device including a display unit for performing a nonvolatile display, using a technology achieving both of a power saving property and operability at a high level.SOLUTION: A display device 1 having a power-saving mode includes: a display unit 2 for performing a nonvolatile display; a rewriting state acquisition unit 10 for acquiring a rewriting state of the display unit 2; an application definition information table 7 for storing a transitional stand-by time which is a waiting time before starting the transition to a power-saving mode for each application to be executed by the display device 1; and a power control unit 13 for transiting an operation mode of the display device 1 to the power saving mode. The power control unit 13 controls an operation mode based on the rewriting state acquired by the rewriting state acquisition unit 10 and the transitional stand-by time corresponding to the application under execution which is stored in the application definition information table 7.

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device and a display device control method, and more particularly to a display device using a nonvolatile display medium for a display unit and a display device control method.

  A nonvolatile display medium, which is a kind of electronic paper, is a display medium that does not require power to maintain display contents. In principle, the non-volatile display medium requires electric power only for rewriting the display contents, so that power consumption can be suppressed.

  Due to such features, non-volatile display media have attracted attention as a display unit of a portable display device in which power saving is regarded as important. In recent years, a display device using a non-volatile display medium as a display unit (hereinafter referred to as a display unit). (Referred to as a non-volatile display device) has been actively developed.

  In general, a nonvolatile display device operates in a power saving mode in which power supply to devices (including a nonvolatile display medium) constituting the device is stopped or suppressed when there is no operation by a user for a certain period of time or longer. By shifting the mode, power consumption can be suppressed. A non-volatile display device in which such control is implemented is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

JP 2009-129352 A

  However, the conventional nonvolatile display device that implements the control to shift to the power saving mode when there is no operation for a certain time or more is not necessarily optimal from the viewpoint of the power saving performance and operability of the device. It's hard to say.

  For example, in a conventional non-volatile display device, when a non-volatile display medium having a plurality of times required for rewriting display contents (hereinafter referred to as rewrite time) is used for the display unit, the power consumption of the non-volatile display device can be improved. It is difficult to suppress it.

  The rewrite time of the nonvolatile display medium is generally in a trade-off relationship with the image quality. For this reason, in a non-volatile display medium that can display an image by selecting an image quality (for example, the number of colors), there are a plurality of rewriting times. It is necessary to set the time to wait from the last operation by the user to the start of the transition to the power saving mode (hereinafter referred to as the transition waiting time) to be longer than the longest rewriting time among the multiple rewriting times. is there.

  Therefore, in the conventional non-volatile display device, even when a relatively low image quality is selected and the rewrite time of the non-volatile display medium is shortened, the non-volatile display device waits for the transition wait time set longer than the longest rewrite time. Therefore, power consumption cannot be efficiently suppressed.

  In addition, for example, in a conventional nonvolatile display device, when a device having a long time required for the device to become usable (hereinafter referred to as a device recovery time) is included, the nonvolatile display is performed. It is difficult to achieve both power saving and operability at high levels.

  The return time of the devices constituting the non-volatile display device varies, but the return time of the non-volatile display device is the device used by the application that was used immediately before the power saving mode transition (that is, the application that is used after the return). Depends on the recovery time. For this reason, if the transition standby time is set short, the transition to the power saving mode occurs frequently when using an application that uses a device with a long recovery time, and it takes a long time to recover each time. Will deteriorate significantly. On the other hand, if you set a long transition standby time, even when using an application that uses a device with a short recovery time, the transition to the power saving mode is not performed early, so the power consumption is efficient. Can not be suppressed.

  Therefore, it is difficult for conventional nonvolatile display devices to efficiently suppress power consumption without sacrificing operability, and to achieve both power saving and operability at a high level. I can't.

  In view of such a situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for achieving both power saving and operability at a high level in a display device including a display unit that performs nonvolatile display.

  One aspect of the present invention is a display device having a power saving mode, a display unit that performs nonvolatile display, a rewrite state acquisition unit that acquires a rewrite state of the display unit, and an application that the display device executes, Storage means for storing a transition waiting time to be waited until the transition to the power saving mode is started, and a transition corresponding to the rewritten state acquired by the rewrite state acquiring means and the running application stored in the storage means And a power control unit configured to shift the operation mode of the display device to the power saving mode based on the standby time.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a display device having a power saving mode, which starts a rewrite state acquisition step of acquiring a rewrite state of a display unit that performs nonvolatile display, and a transition to a power saving mode. Transition standby time acquisition step for acquiring a transition standby time that is to be waited until before, corresponding to the application being executed, and the rewrite state and transition standby time acquisition step of the display means acquired in the rewrite state acquisition step And a power control step of shifting the operation mode of the display device to the power saving mode based on the transition standby time acquired in (1).

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the display apparatus containing the display part which performs a non-volatile display, the technique which makes power-saving property and operativity compatible at a high level can be provided.

1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a display device in Example 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a display device illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of an application definition information table of the display device illustrated in FIG. 1. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling the display device illustrated in FIG. 1. 5 is a flowchart illustrating details of power saving control in the control method illustrated in FIG. 4.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the appearance of the display device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the display device illustrated in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the application definition information table of the display device illustrated in FIG.

  The display device 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a portable display device having a power saving mode in which power consumption is suppressed as an operation mode, and a non-volatile display medium that is a kind of electronic paper is used as the display unit 2. It is used. The display device 1 is configured to operate various applications, and for example, a Web application or an electronic book application is executed.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the display device 1 includes a display unit 2 (display unit) that performs non-volatile display, an operation unit 3, a CPU 4, a ROM 5, a RAM 6, and an application definition information table 7 (storage unit). ), A memory card 8, a communication unit 9 that communicates with an external device, a rewrite state acquisition unit 10 (rewrite state acquisition unit) that acquires a rewrite state of the display unit 2, and a display rewrite start of the display unit 2. A rewrite start detection unit 11 (rewrite start detection unit) to detect, an operation detection unit 12 (operation detection unit) that detects an operation on the display device 1, and a power control unit 13 (power control) that controls the operation mode of the display device 1. Means).

  In FIG. 1, the display unit 2 and the operation unit 3 are provided at different positions on the appearance of the display device 1, but the arrangement is not particularly limited thereto. The operation unit 3 may be a touch panel. In this case, the operation unit 3 is disposed so as to overlap the display unit 2.

  The application definition information table 7 is a storage unit that stores information on applications executed by the display device 1 and mainly stores information related to power control for each application. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, an application module name and a transition waiting time that should be waited until the transition to the power saving mode is started are stored for each application.

  The migration waiting time of each application stored in the application definition information table 7 becomes longer as the return time of the device used by the application becomes longer. For example, comparing the migration standby time of an electronic book application that uses the memory card 8 and a web application that uses the communication unit 9, if the return time of the communication unit 9 is longer than the return time of the memory card 8, the migration of the Web application The waiting time is longer than the migration waiting time of the electronic book application.

  The rewrite state acquisition unit 10 is a means for acquiring the rewrite state of the display unit 2. As the rewrite state, a completion state indicating a state where the display rewrite of the display unit 2 is completed and a display rewrite of the display unit 2 are performed. One of the execution status indicating the status that has been broken is acquired.

  The power control unit 13 is configured to control the operation mode of the display device 1 by controlling the supply of power to each device constituting the display device 1. The power control unit 13 is power saving control means for shifting from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode at an appropriate timing when the operation mode of the display device 1 is the normal operation mode. Is a return control means for shifting to the normal operation mode at the timing when the user's operation is detected from the power saving mode.

  More specifically, the power control unit 13 serving as the power saving control unit more specifically, the transition standby time corresponding to the rewritten state acquired by the rewritten state acquiring unit 10 and the application being executed stored in the application definition information table 7. Based on the above, an appropriate timing for shifting to the power saving mode is determined, and the operation mode of the display device 1 is shifted to the power saving mode. As a result, the display device 1 can shift to the power saving mode at an appropriate timing for each application, so that both power saving and operability can be achieved at a high level.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling the display device 1 illustrated in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating details of power saving control in the control method illustrated in FIG. Hereinafter, the control method of the display device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, when the display device 1 is turned on and control of the display device 1 is started, the display device 1 first starts up in a normal operation mode (step S <b> 100).

  In the display device 1 activated in the normal operation mode, power saving control is started such that the operation mode is shifted from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode at an appropriate timing (step S200). Thereafter, when the operation mode shifts to the power saving mode and the power saving control is finished, the operation detection unit 12 monitors the presence or absence of an operation by the user until the user performs an operation (step S300). And if the operation detection part 12 detects a user's operation, the electric power control part 13 will change the operation mode of the display apparatus 1 from a power saving mode to a normal operation mode, and will return the display apparatus 1 (step S400). Then, power saving control is started again (step S200). Hereinafter, Step S300 and Step S400 are referred to as return control with respect to the power saving control of Step S200.

  In the display device 1, the power saving control and the return control are repeatedly performed until the power of the display device 1 is turned off.

Next, the power saving control will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
When the power saving control is started, first, necessary initialization processing related to the power saving control is performed (step S201), and then the rewrite start detection unit 11 monitors the start of rewriting of the display on the display unit 2 ( Step S202).

  When the rewrite start detection unit 11 detects the start of the rewrite of the display on the display unit 2, the time at which the rewrite is started (hereinafter referred to as the rewrite start time) is acquired (step S203). A running application is identified (step S204). Information about the acquired rewrite start time and the identified application is temporarily stored in the RAM 6.

  Next, the completion of rewriting the display on the display unit is monitored. Specifically, the rewrite state acquisition unit 10 acquires the rewrite state of the display unit 2 (step S205), and it is determined whether or not the acquired rewrite state is a complete state (step S206).

  If it is determined in step S206 that the rewrite state is the execution state, after confirming that a new rewrite of the display on the display unit 2 has not been detected by the rewrite start detection unit 11 (step S207), the display is displayed again. The rewrite state of the unit 2 is acquired (step S205), and it is determined whether or not the acquired rewrite state is a complete state (step S206). In this way, the process from step S205 to step S207 is repeated until the rewrite state is completed, thereby monitoring the completion of the rewrite.

  In step S207, when the rewrite start detection unit 11 detects a new rewrite on the display unit 2, the control shifts to step S203.

  If it is determined in step S206 that the rewrite state is the completed state, the control proceeds to step S208, and whether or not the transition waiting time corresponding to the application specified in step S204 exists in the application definition information table 7 is determined. Determination is made (step S208). If there is a migration waiting time corresponding to the application identified in step S204 in the application definition information table 7, the migration waiting time is acquired from the application definition information table 7 (step S209).

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the transition waiting time acquired in step S209 has elapsed since the last rewrite start of display on the display unit 2 detected by the rewrite start detection unit 11 (step S210). That is, it is determined whether or not the following relationship (1) is satisfied.
(Current time-rewrite start time stored in RAM 6)> transition standby time (1)

  If the relationship (1) is not satisfied, after confirming that the new rewrite of the display on the display unit 2 has not been detected by the rewrite start detection unit 11 (step S211), the relationship (1) is satisfied again. It is determined whether or not there is (step S210). In this way, the process of step S210 and step S211 is repeated until the relationship (1) is satisfied, thereby monitoring the transition standby time from the rewrite start time.

  In step S211, when the rewrite start detection unit 11 detects a new rewrite on the display unit 2, the control shifts to step S203.

  When it is determined in step S210 that the transition standby time has elapsed from the rewrite start time, the control transitions to step S212, and the power control unit 13 transitions the operation mode of the display device 1 from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode. (Step S212), power saving control ends.

  If it is determined in step S208 that there is no transition waiting time corresponding to the application specified in step S204 in the application definition information table 7, the control transitions to step S212, and the power control unit 13 displays the display device. The operation mode 1 is shifted from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode (step S212).

  As described above, according to the display device 1 according to the present embodiment, the power control unit 13 includes the rewrite state acquired by the rewrite state acquisition unit 10 and the transition standby time corresponding to the running application stored in the RAM 6. Based on the above, the operation mode of the display device 1 is shifted to the power saving mode.

  More specifically, the power control unit 13 determines that the rewrite state acquired by the rewrite state acquisition unit 10 is the state where the rewriting of the display on the display unit 2 is completed and the last detected by the rewrite start detection unit 11 When the transition standby time corresponding to the application being executed stored in the RAM 6 (application definition information table 7) has elapsed from the start of rewriting (that is, the rewriting start time stored in the RAM 6), the display device 1 The operation mode is shifted to the power saving mode. On the other hand, the power control unit 13 determines whether the rewrite state acquired by the rewrite state acquisition unit 10 is an execution state or the RAM 6 (application definition information table 7) from the last rewrite start detected by the rewrite start detection unit 11. The operation mode of the display device 1 is not shifted to the power saving mode when the transition waiting time corresponding to the running application stored in the screen has not elapsed.

  Accordingly, in the display device 1, the transition to the power saving mode is performed based on the optimum transition standby time for each application being executed, so that both the power saving performance and the operability of the display device 1 are achieved at a high level. Can be made. In other words, if you are using an application that takes time to recover, you can delay the transition to the power saving mode in consideration of operability. Transition to the power mode at an early stage can efficiently suppress power consumption.

  Further, in the display device 1, since the shift to the power saving mode is performed based on the rewrite state acquired by the rewrite state acquisition unit 10, the display unit 2 having a plurality of rewrite times is used. However, it is possible to prevent problems such as shifting to the power saving mode during display rewriting.

  FIG. 5 shows an example in which the last rewrite start time of the display unit 2 detected by the rewrite start detection unit 11 is used as a starting point for measuring the transition standby time. It is not limited to this. For example, the time when the last operation by the user detected by the operation detection unit 12 may be used as the starting point for measuring the transition standby time. That is, in step S210, it is determined whether or not the transition waiting time corresponding to the application being executed stored in the RAM 6 has elapsed since the time when the last operation detected by the operation detection unit 12 was performed. Also good.

  Further, the application definition information table 7 does not necessarily need to store the use waiting time of all applications. In the power saving control illustrated in FIG. 5, when using an application whose use definition time does not exist in the application definition information table 7, the shift to the power saving mode is performed immediately after the rewriting of the display unit 2 is completed. It will be. Therefore, for an application that may shift to the power saving mode immediately after rewriting of the display unit 2, it is not necessary to store the transition waiting time in the application definition information table 7, and it is necessary to set the transition waiting time longer. Only the use waiting time may be stored in the application definition information table 7.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display apparatus 2 Display part 3 Operation part 4 CPU
5 ROM
6 RAM
7 Application definition information table 8 Memory card 9 Communication unit 10 Rewrite state acquisition unit 11 Rewrite start detection unit 12 Operation detection unit 13 Power control unit

Claims (8)

A display device having a power saving mode,
Display means for performing non-volatile display;
Rewrite status acquisition means for acquiring a rewrite status of the display means;
Storage means for storing a transition waiting time to be waited until the transition to the power saving mode is started for each application executed by the display device;
The operation mode of the display device is shifted to the power saving mode based on the rewrite state acquired by the rewrite state acquisition unit and the transition standby time corresponding to the running application stored in the storage unit. And a power control means. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising:
Rewriting start detecting means for detecting rewriting start of display of the display means,
The power control means includes
The rewrite status acquired by the rewrite status acquisition means is a state in which display rewriting of the display means is completed, and is stored in the storage means from the last rewrite start detected by the rewrite start detection means. When the transition waiting time corresponding to the running application has elapsed, the operation mode of the display device is shifted to the power saving mode,
When the rewrite status acquired by the rewrite status acquisition means is a state in which the display of the display means is being rewritten, or from the last rewrite start detected by the rewrite start detection means to the storage means A display device, wherein an operation mode of the display device is not shifted to the power saving mode when the transition standby time corresponding to a stored application being executed has not elapsed. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising:
An operation detecting means for detecting an operation on the display device;
The power control means includes
The rewrite state acquired by the rewrite state acquisition unit is a state in which the display rewriting of the display unit is completed, and the execution stored in the storage unit from the last operation detected by the operation detection unit When the transition waiting time corresponding to the application in the middle has elapsed, the operation mode of the display device is shifted to the power saving mode,
When the rewrite state acquired by the rewrite state acquisition unit is a state in which display of the display unit is being rewritten, or stored in the storage unit from the last operation detected by the operation detection unit. A display device, wherein an operation mode of the display device is not shifted to the power saving mode when the transition standby time corresponding to an application being executed has not elapsed. The display device according to claim 1,
The display device characterized in that the transition waiting time stored in the storage means is longer as the return time of a device used by an application corresponding to the transition waiting time is longer. A control method of a display device having a power saving mode,
A rewrite state acquisition step of acquiring a rewrite state of a display means for performing nonvolatile display;
A transition standby time acquisition step for acquiring a transition standby time to be waited until the start of the transition to the power saving mode and corresponding to the application being executed,
Based on the rewrite state of the display means acquired in the rewrite state acquisition step and the transition standby time acquired in the transition standby time acquisition step, the operation mode of the display device is shifted to the power saving mode. And a power control step. The display device control method according to claim 5, further comprising:
Including a rewrite start detecting step of detecting a rewrite start of display on the display device,
The power control step includes
The rewrite state acquired in the rewrite state acquisition step is a state in which the display rewriting of the display means is completed, and the transition waiting time acquisition step from the last rewrite start detected in the rewrite start detection step When the acquired transition waiting time has elapsed, the operation mode of the display device is shifted to the power saving mode,
When the rewrite state acquired in the rewrite state acquisition step is a state in which display of the display means is being rewritten, or the transition waiting time from the last rewrite start detected in the rewrite start detection step A control method for a display device, wherein the operation mode of the display device is not shifted to the power saving mode when the transition standby time acquired in the acquisition step has not elapsed. The display device control method according to claim 5, further comprising:
Including an operation detection step of detecting an operation on the display device,
The power control step includes
The rewrite status acquired in the rewrite status acquisition step is a state in which the display rewriting of the display means is completed, and is acquired in the transition waiting time acquisition step from the last operation detected in the operation detection step. When the transition standby time has elapsed, the operation mode of the display device is shifted to the power saving mode,
The transition waiting time acquisition step from the last operation detected in the operation detection step when the rewrite state acquired in the rewrite state acquisition step is a state in which the display of the display means is being rewritten A method for controlling a display device, wherein the operation mode of the display device is not shifted to the power saving mode when the transition standby time acquired in (1) has not elapsed. In the control method of the display device according to claim 5,
The display control method according to claim 1, wherein the transition standby time detected in the transition standby time acquisition step is longer as the return time of a device used by an application corresponding to the transition standby time is longer.

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