JPH09212260A - Power supply device for portable information terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To drive the absolute minimum number of functions required for a portable information terminal equipment even when a battery for the equipment has been consumed by switching the battery to an adaptor side battery. SOLUTION: This device is constituted of a means for informing of the reduction of remaining quantity of a battery 101 for the portable information terminal equipment to the extended adapter side and a means for power supply to the PITE from the equipment side battery 101 to the adapter side battery 107. When the battery remaining quantity of the equipment is reduced less than a prescribed level, power is supplied from the battery 107 to the equipment to extend the operation time of the equipment.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power supply device for a portable information terminal device connected to an expansion adapter and driven by a battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, along with the widespread use of portable information terminal equipment having a personal information management function and communication functions such as telephone and fax, the power supply unit has a small size and a small size from the viewpoint of portability.
Lightweight batteries are mainly installed.

Conventionally, as a power supply device for portable equipment, one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-287603 is known. FIG. 6 shows an overall configuration diagram of the conventional power supply device for a mobile device. This power supply device for a mobile device switches a frequency of a clock signal to be supplied to a CPU according to a terminal voltage of a rechargeable battery. Both the improvement of the processing speed of the CPU and the prevention of the rapid consumption of the rechargeable battery are achieved.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the voltage detector 602 detects the terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery 601 and, as shown by the discharge characteristics of the rechargeable battery 601 in FIG. Rechargeable battery 60 compared to Vp
The switching signal Sn is output in the initial state where the terminal voltage of 1 is higher than the reference voltage Vp, and the switching signal S1 is output when the terminal voltage is lower than the reference voltage Vp after a lapse of time.
The clock signal generator 603 generates a high-frequency clock signal when the switching signal Sn is supplied, and outputs a low-frequency clock signal when the switching signal S1 is supplied. As a result, in the initial state in which the terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery 601 is higher than the reference voltage Vp, the CPU 60
4 is supplied with a high-frequency clock signal, and the CPU 60
4 operates at high speed. When the rechargeable battery 601 is consumed and its terminal voltage becomes lower than the reference voltage Vp, C
A low-frequency clock signal is supplied to the PU 604, and C
The PU 604 operates at a low speed, and the degree of consumption of the rechargeable battery 601 becomes slow.

[0005]

Generally, in a portable information terminal device equipped with an expansion slot, for example, by connecting a communication adapter or the like to the expansion slot, the function is expanded to improve portability and usability. There is. In such a portable information terminal device, it is required to suppress the consumption of the battery to extend the operation time and to notify an appropriate replacement time when the battery is consumed. However,
In a portable information terminal device equipped with an expansion slot, when the battery is exhausted, the original communication function cannot be used even though the battery level on the expansion adapter side is sufficient. The installed battery was wasted.

In consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention relates to a portable information terminal device in which an expansion adapter (PC card or the like) equipped with a battery is connected through an expansion slot or the like, and the remaining battery level of the portable information terminal device. Power supply device for extending the operating time of the portable information terminal device by supplying power to the portable information terminal device from the battery provided on the expansion adapter side when The purpose is to provide.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides, in a portable information terminal device having an expansion slot, means for monitoring the battery voltage, and means for calculating the remaining battery power and power consumption. A means for transmitting a decrease in battery voltage to the expansion adapter side, and a power supply to the portable information terminal device from a first battery mounted on the portable information terminal device side to a second battery mounted on the expansion adapter side Means for switching to a portable information terminal device, and when the first battery mounted in the portable information terminal device falls below a predetermined level, the second battery provided on the expansion adapter side changes the portable information terminal device. The power supply device is configured to supply power to the.

According to the present invention, when the battery of the portable information terminal device is exhausted, the battery voltage is automatically supplied from the expansion adapter side, and the operating time of the portable information terminal device can be extended.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises, in a portable information terminal device having an expansion slot, means for monitoring battery voltage, and means for calculating remaining battery power and power consumption. , A means for transmitting a decrease in battery voltage to the expansion adapter side, and a power supply to the portable information terminal device from the first battery mounted on the portable information terminal device side to the second battery mounted on the expansion adapter side. A means for switching to a battery, and when the voltage of the first battery mounted on the portable information terminal device falls below a predetermined level, the portable information terminal device is switched from the second battery provided on the expansion adapter side. The power supply device of the portable information terminal device for supplying power to the portable information terminal device has an effect that the battery of the expansion adapter side can extend the operation even if the battery of the portable information terminal device is exhausted.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is the power supply device for portable information terminal equipment according to claim 1,
The means for monitoring the battery voltage is composed of an A / D converter, and the battery of the expansion adapter is calculated from the result of calculating the remaining power of the second battery of the expansion adapter and the required power consumption for each functional block of the portable information terminal device. By setting the operation allowable level of the portable information terminal device with respect to the remaining amount and turning on / off the power switch provided for each independent function block according to the operation allowable level, power is supplied only to the function blocks required for operation. The function blocks that can be operated are selected according to the battery voltage, and a warning is displayed on the display to inform the user of the battery replacement time and enable operation. It has the effect of suppressing battery consumption within the range.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is the power supply apparatus for portable information terminal equipment according to claim 1,
The means for transmitting the decrease in the battery voltage to the expansion adapter side is the battery voltage information required by the portable information terminal device via the data bus of the expansion slot according to the voltage value input from the means for monitoring the battery voltage. Is transmitted to the expansion adapter side, and has a function of transmitting detailed information of the battery voltage required for the portable information terminal device to the expansion adapter side even if there is no dedicated communication means between the CPUs. .

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entire power supply system for portable information terminal equipment according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The portable information terminal device according to the first embodiment includes a battery 101 for supplying power to the portable information terminal device as shown in the figure, and a battery voltage monitoring means 1 for monitoring the battery voltage of the portable information terminal device.
02, power consumption calculation means 10 for calculating the power consumption for each functional block according to the operation mode of the portable information terminal device
3, receiving the calculation results of the power consumption calculation means 103, receiving the calculation results of the battery information transmission means 104, the battery voltage monitoring means 102, and the power consumption calculation means 103 for transmitting the battery information such as the remaining battery power to the expansion adapter side. Then, the battery switching means 10 for switching the power supply of the portable information terminal device from the battery on the portable information terminal device side to the battery on the expansion adapter side.
5, display means 106 for displaying battery voltage information, battery replacement time, etc., battery 107 for supplying power to the expansion adapter,
Battery voltage monitoring means 1 for monitoring the battery voltage of the expansion adapter
08, power consumption calculation means 109 for calculating the power consumption of the expansion adapter, and battery information transmission means 110 for transmitting the battery information of the expansion adapter to the portable information terminal device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portable information terminal device in the power supply system for the portable information terminal device. The battery voltage monitoring means 102 and 108 shown in FIG.
2, A / D converters 202 and 208, power consumption calculation means 103 and 109 in FIG.
203 and 209, the battery information transmitting means 104 and 110 in FIG. 1 are constituted by the serial port or the data bus 210 in FIG. 2, and the battery switching means 10 in FIG.
5 is preferably a semiconductor switch or a mechanical switch 2
05. The semiconductor switch is FE
T, a transistor or the like can be used, and an FET is particularly preferable because it has a small power loss. A relay or the like can be used as the mechanical switch. The display means 106 in FIG. 1 is composed of the liquid crystal display device (LCD) 206 in FIG.

The operation of the portable information terminal device including the above-described components shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the A / D converter 202
The voltage of the battery 201 monitored by
It is read by the PU 203 (S1), and the CPU 203 calculates the remaining amount of the battery 201 from the power consumption corresponding to the operation mode at that time and the read battery voltage (S2). A
When the voltage of the battery 201 monitored by the / D converter 202 decreases, and as a result of the battery remaining amount calculation, it is determined that the battery capacity necessary for operating the portable information terminal device does not exist (S3). The CPU 203 sends a required power (battery voltage) according to the operation mode at that time and a battery switching request via the data bus 210 to the CPU on the expansion adapter side.
It is transmitted to 209 (S4).

On the other hand, on the side of the expansion adapter, the remaining capacity of the battery 207 is calculated from the voltage of the battery 207 monitored by the A / D converter 208 as well. Therefore CP
The U203 reads the information of the battery 207 on the expansion adapter side (S5), and if it is determined that the battery 207 of the expansion adapter has a sufficient remaining battery power to supply power to the portable information terminal device ( S6), the CPU 203 outputs the battery switching permission signal 211 and switches the switch 205 to the expansion adapter side battery 207 (S7). If it is determined that the battery capacity of the battery 207 of the expansion adapter is not sufficient, a warning is displayed on the liquid crystal display device (LCD) 206 to prompt the replacement of the battery (S8).

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a portable information terminal device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Here, a case where a communication adapter card equipped with a modem 413 is connected as an expansion adapter is shown. In the figure, the battery 401, SRAM 420, data bus 410, battery switching permission signal 411, A / D converter 402, expansion adapter side A / D converter 408, CPU 403,
The expansion adapter side CPU 409, LCD 406, changeover switch 405, etc. are the same as those in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the portable information terminal device has an SRAM 420 for temporarily storing data, an I / O controller 421 for controlling input / output devices, and an LCD 406.
FET switch 414, SR for turning on / off the power of
FET switch 4 for turning on / off the power of AM420
15. The FET switch 416 for turning on / off the power supply of the I / O controller 421 is provided, and the A / D converter 4 is provided.
Power control is performed for each functional block according to the battery voltage detected by 02. In addition, 417 to 419 in the figure are F
This is an on / off signal for the ET switch.

The operation of the portable information terminal device configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Since the processing of S11 to S15 in FIG. 5 is the same as the processing of S1 to S5 of FIG. 3 described above, the description thereof will be omitted here, and the following processing S16 will be described.

After setting the operation mode in the case of using the communication adapter card (S16), the portable telephone number corresponding to the remaining battery level of the communication adapter card is determined from the battery information and the communication adapter function information read from the communication adapter card side in S15. The operation allowable level of the model information terminal device in the operation mode is calculated (S17), and the functions are limited in the following three cases, that is, when the remaining battery level is sufficient for normal operation (allowable level 3). If there is a battery level that can continue to operate (permissible level 2), if there is a battery level that can continue to operate if the function is considerably limited (allowable level 1)
Then, the CPU 403 outputs the battery switching permission signal 411 and switches the changeover switch 405 to the battery on the expansion adapter side (S18). On the other hand, when the battery level is insufficient to continue the operation in the operation mode (permissible level 0), a warning is displayed on the liquid crystal display (LCD) 406 to prompt the battery replacement (S23).

Next, in order to further extend the battery life,
Corresponding to the operation permissible level determined in S17, a process of supplying the electric power of only the block that is minimum necessary for the operation mode at that time is performed. That is, when the determination result in S17 is the operation allowable level 3, the FET switches 414, 41
5, 416 are on, and power is supplied to all blocks (S20).

When the determination result in S19 is the operation allowable level 2, only the liquid crystal display (LCD) 406 is supplied with power and only the FET switch 414 is turned on (S).
21). In such a case, the I / O controller 421 for operating the input / output device and the SRAM 420 for storing data cannot be used, but the basic function as the portable information terminal device is operable, and for example, the liquid crystal display device. It is possible to perform an operation such as transmitting data to the destination displayed on the (LCD) 406 via the modem on the expansion card side.

On the other hand, when the result of determination in S17 is the operation permissible level 1, the display is made only while the portable information terminal device is being operated, and the display is not made by turning off the FET switches 414 to 416 during communication. (S2
2). For example, when performing a communication operation via the modem of the communication card, the power of the liquid crystal display device is also cut off after the preparation for communication is completed, and only a part of the portable information terminal device necessary for communication and the communication card are powered. To supply. In other words, if it is determined in S17 that the battery of the communication adapter has a battery level that allows it to continue operating if the functions are considerably limited, only the minimum necessary functions are operated and the communication functions on the communication adapter side are wasted. It can be used as a portable information terminal device without being required.

[0024]

As is apparent from the above description, the power supply device for a portable information terminal device according to the present invention is switched to the battery on the expansion adapter side even when the battery of the portable information terminal device is exhausted. It becomes possible to operate the minimum necessary functions as the information terminal device, and it is possible to effectively utilize the battery and extend the operation time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a power supply system for a portable information terminal device according to a first embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portable information terminal device in the power supply system for the portable information terminal device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the power supply device of the portable information terminal device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a portable information terminal device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the power supply device of the portable information terminal device.

FIG. 6 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional power supply for a mobile device.

FIG. 7 is a discharge characteristic diagram of a rechargeable battery.

[Explanation of symbols]

201, 401 Battery 202, 402 A / D converter 203, 403 CPU 205, 405 Changeover switch 206, 406 Liquid crystal display (LCD) 207, 407 Expansion adapter side battery 208, 408 Expansion adapter side A / D converter 209, 409 Expansion Adapter CPU 210,410 Data bus 211,411 Battery switching permission signal 413 Modem 414,415,416 FET switch 417,418,419 FET switch on / off signal 420 SRAM 421 I / O controller

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In a portable information terminal device having an expansion slot, means for monitoring the battery voltage, means for calculating the remaining battery power and power consumption, and means for transmitting a decrease in the battery voltage to the expansion adapter side. , A means for switching the power supply to the portable information terminal device from the first battery mounted on the portable information terminal device side to the second battery mounted on the expansion adapter side. A portable information terminal characterized by supplying power to the portable information terminal device from the second battery provided on the expansion adapter side when the voltage of the first battery mounted falls below a predetermined level. Equipment power supply device. 2. The means for monitoring the battery voltage is composed of an A / D converter, and from the result of calculating the remaining power of the second battery of the expansion adapter and the required power consumption for each functional block of the portable information terminal device. By setting the operation allowable level of the portable information terminal device with respect to the battery level of the expansion adapter and turning on / off the power switch provided for each independent function block according to the operation allowable level, The power supply device for a portable information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein power is supplied only to the functional blocks. 3. The portable information terminal device is required as means for transmitting a decrease in battery voltage to the expansion adapter side via the data bus of the expansion slot according to the voltage value input from the means for monitoring the battery voltage. The power supply device for the portable information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the battery voltage information is transmitted to the expansion adapter side.