Electronic device, control method, and recording medium

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic device such as an electronic timepiece, a method for controlling the electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium. The present invention delays a battery life without causing a user to feel functional limitations. The electronic timepiece includes: a first display unit; a second display unit which consumes lower power than the first display unit; a first communication unit; a second communication unit that consumes lower power than the first communication unit; a first control unit; a second control unit that consumes lower power than the first control unit; the first control unit transmits a power suppression notification to the second control unit, stops display by the first display unit and communication by the first communication unit, and transitions to a sleep state when a condition for transitioning to a power suppression state, which is an operation state in which power consumption is suppressed, is satisfied. When a wake-up signal is received from the second control unit or the first operation unit, the sleep state is restored to the normal state, and the display of the first display unit and the communication of the first communication unit are started.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the patent application filed on March 30, 2020, with application number 202010238605.X and invention name “Electronic device, control method and computer-readable storage medium”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to electronic equipment such as an electronic watch, a control method of the electronic equipment and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0003] High-performance and small electronic devices such as smart watches are becoming popular. High-performance electronic devices consume a lot of power, and if the battery voltage is low, all functions including basic functions such as timing functions will stop. Therefore, in the electronic watch disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 161324 of 2016, for example, by limiting the function according to the voltage of the secondary battery, the basic functions (such as timing functions) can be maintained for a long time. Summary of the invention

[0004] The electronic watch of the embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first display unit; a second display unit whose power consumption is lower than that of the first display unit; a first communication unit; a second communication unit whose power consumption is lower than that of the first communication unit; a first control unit; a second control unit whose power consumption is lower than that of the first control unit; and an operation acquisition unit which, upon acquiring an operation of a user, sends a wake-up signal for restoring the first control unit from a sleep state in which power consumption is suppressed to a normal operation state, i.e., a normal state,

[0005] The first control unit sends a power suppression notification to the second control unit when a condition for transitioning to an operation state in which power consumption is suppressed, i.e., a power suppression state, is satisfied, stops displaying on the first display unit and communication on the first communication unit, and transitions to the sleep state. When receiving the wake-up signal from the second control unit or the operation acquisition unit, the first control unit returns to the normal state from the sleep state, and starts displaying on the first display unit and communication on the first communication unit.

[0006] As for the above-mentioned second control unit, when the above-mentioned power suppression notification is received from the above-mentioned first control unit, the display of the above-mentioned second display unit and the communication of the above-mentioned second communication unit are started, and when the conditions for transferring to the above-mentioned normal state are met, the above-mentioned wake-up signal is sent to the above-mentioned first control unit to stop the display of the above-mentioned second display unit and the communication of the above-mentioned second communication unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic timepiece according to an embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2It is a diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic device system according to an embodiment.

[0009] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing a comparison between a normal operation state and a low power consumption operation state according to the embodiment.

[0010] Figure 4 It is a diagram for explaining the structure of the first display unit and the second display unit according to the embodiment.

[0011] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of low power consumption operation state transition processing according to the embodiment.

[0012] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the normal operation state transition process of the implementation method.

[0013] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the operation state switching process according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts in the drawings.

[0015] An example of an electronic device according to the embodiment is an electronic watch 100. Figure 1 As shown, the functional structure includes a first control unit 110, a second control unit 120, a first communication unit 131, a first display unit 132, a first operating unit 133, a second operating unit 134, a second communication unit 135, a second display unit 136, a sensor unit 137, a notification unit 138, a power control unit 140, and a battery 141.

[0016] In addition, the first control unit 110 includes a processor 111, a memory 112, and a timing circuit 113. The first control unit 110 has a function of putting itself to sleep to suppress power consumption. The first control unit 110 in sleep basically stops operating, but if an interrupt signal (wake-up signal) is received from the outside, it recovers from the sleep state to the active state and starts operating.

[0017] The processor 111 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) with high processing capability (for example, 64-bit with an operating frequency of 1 GHz) capable of installing a high-performance OS (Operating System) such as Android.

[0018] The memory 112 is composed of a RAM (random access memory), a ROM (read only memory), etc., and is a memory having a capacity that satisfies most of the capacity required to realize all the functions of the electronic timepiece 100. In addition, the memory 112 is not limited to being provided inside the first control unit 110, and may also be provided outside the first control unit 110.

[0019] The timer circuit 113 measures the time displayed by the electronic timepiece 100. The timer circuit 113 may be composed of software that changes the value stored in the memory 112 at predetermined time intervals (eg, 1 second), or may be composed of dedicated hardware.

[0020] The time measured by the timing circuit 113 may be any one of the accumulated time relative to the predetermined timing, standard time of various places such as UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), JST (Japan Standard Time), or the time (local time) of a pre-set city. In addition, the time measured by the timing circuit 113 may not necessarily be in the form of year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. In addition, the timing circuit 113 is not limited to being set inside the first control unit 110, and may also be set outside the first control unit 110.

[0021] The second control unit 120 includes a processor 121 , a memory 122 , and a timing circuit 123 for timing the time of the electronic timepiece 100 .

[0022] The processor 121 is a CPU with lower performance and lower speed (e.g., 16-bit with an operating frequency of 16 MHz) than the processor 111. Therefore, the processor 121 is not oriented to a high-performance OS. On the contrary, the processor 121 has lower power consumption than the processor 111. In addition, the processor 121 can perform intermittent operation, for example, by performing an operation for a short time once a second through intermittent operation, thereby being able to operate with significantly lower power consumption than the processor 111.

[0023] The memory 122 is composed of a RAM, a ROM, etc., and is a memory of a capacity required for the operation of the processor 121. In addition, the memory 122 and the timing circuit 123 are not limited to being provided inside the second control unit 120, and may be provided outside the second control unit 120. For example, it may be configured so that the entire or a part of the memory 112 inside the first control unit 110 can be used as the memory 122 from the second control unit 120. In addition, it may be configured so that both the memory 112 and the memory 122 are the same external memory, and the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 share the same memory.

[0024] Similar to the timing circuit 113, the timing circuit 123 measures the time displayed by the electronic watch 100. In addition, similar to the timing circuit 113, it can be composed of software or dedicated hardware. Similar to the timing circuit 113, the type and form of the time measured by the timing circuit 123 are arbitrary. In addition, the timing circuit 123 is not limited to being provided inside the second control unit 120, and can also be provided outside the second control unit 120. In addition, it can also be configured so that the timing circuit 113 and the timing circuit 123 are both the same external timing circuit, and the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 share the same timing circuit.

[0025] The first communication unit 131 is a device for wirelessly communicating with another device (eg, a smartphone), and is, for example, a communication device that complies with the communication standard of Bluetooth Classic (registered trademark).

[0026] The first display unit 132 is a high-definition display capable of color display, such as a color high-definition LCD (liquid crystal display). However, the first display unit 132 is not limited to LCD, and may be EL (electroluminescence) or the like. The first display unit 132 performs high-definition time display and screen display based on the application program executed by the high-performance OS.

[0027] The first operating unit 133 includes a touch screen module that is overlapped on the first display unit 132 and the second display unit 136. The first operating unit 133 receives an input operation from the user through the touch screen module, and sends an electrical signal corresponding to the input operation as an input signal to the first control unit 110. For example, if the user touches the display of the electronic watch 100, the first operating unit 133 generates an interrupt signal (wake-up signal) to notify the first control unit 110 that the display has been touched. Then, the contact position and contact form related to the contact action of the user contacting the touch screen module are detected, and an operation signal corresponding to the detected contact position and contact form is sent to the first control unit 110. The UI (user interface) of the high-performance OS is realized by the first display unit 132 and the first operating unit 133. The first operating unit 133 functions as an operation acquisition unit that acquires the user's operation.

[0028] The second operating unit 134 includes a handle and a button. The second operating unit 134 receives input operations from the user through the handle and the button, and sends an electrical signal corresponding to the input operation as an input signal to the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120. For example, the second operating unit 134 receives instructions such as time synchronization and display switching from the user through the handle and the button, and sends the instructions to the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120.

[0029] In addition, Figure 1In the embodiment, the first operation unit 133 is connected only to the first control unit 110, and the second operation unit 134 is connected to the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120, but this is just an example, and the connection target is not limited to this example. For example, the first operation unit 133 can be connected to both the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120, or can be connected only to the second control unit 120. In addition, the second operation unit 134 can be connected only to the first control unit 110 or only to the second control unit 120.

[0030] The second communication unit 135 is a device for wirelessly communicating with other devices (e.g., a smartphone) similarly to the first communication unit 131. However, the power consumption of the second communication unit 135 is lower than that of the first communication unit 131, and the communication speed is slower than that of the first communication unit 131. The second communication unit 135 is, for example, a communication device corresponding to the communication standard of Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark) (hereinafter referred to as BLE).

[0031] The second display unit 136 is a display such as a black and white segment display of an LCD, etc. The second display unit 136 consumes less power than the first display unit 132. The second display unit 136 can display time and other information by means of a segment display or the like.

[0032] The sensor unit 137 includes sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and an air pressure sensor. The second control unit 120 can obtain information such as the movement, direction, and altitude of the electronic timepiece 100 based on information detected by the sensor unit 137 .

[0033] The notification unit 138 includes a buzzer and a vibration motor. The notification unit 138 can notify the user of, for example, the arrival of the alarm setting time or the receipt of any message by ringing the buzzer or vibrating the electronic timepiece 100 with the vibration motor.

[0034] The power control unit 140 converts the power voltage from the battery 141 to a desired voltage and supplies power to each device in the electronic timepiece 100. The power control unit 140 can turn on / off the power supply (power supply) to each device according to instructions from the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120.

[0035] The functional structure of the electronic timepiece 100 has been described above. Figure 2 As shown, the electronic timepiece 100 and the smartphone 200 together constitute the electronic device system 1. The smartphone 200 is wirelessly connected to the electronic timepiece 100 via Bluetooth (registered trademark). Therefore, for example, the smartphone 200 can send received emails to the electronic timepiece 100 via Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0036] In addition, the electronic watch 100 can receive the email sent from the smartphone 200 in a relatively short time in a form that includes all the email text and attachments by using the first communication unit 131 capable of high-speed communication on the above-mentioned high-performance OS, and can also display all the email text, or all the email text and attachments by using the function of the high-performance OS. Therefore, in this case, the user can check the email through the electronic watch 100 without checking the smartphone 200.

[0037] However, in order to reduce power consumption, the electronic watch 100 sometimes stops the first control unit 110, the first communication unit 131, and the first control unit 110 (sleep, etc.), and in this case, the processing is performed by the second control unit 120 and the second communication unit 135. As described above, the processor 121 of the second control unit 120 is not oriented to the implementation of a high-performance OS, and the communication speed of the second communication unit 135 is slow. Therefore, when the electronic watch 100 is reducing power consumption, the electronic watch 100 can be set to lower power consumption by not receiving all email texts, etc., and reducing it to the minimum communication, taking into account the processing speed of the processor 121 and the communication speed of the second communication unit 135.

[0038] Therefore, in this case, the electronic watch 100 displays an incoming mail icon indicating an incoming mail through the processor 121. The extent of the functions provided by the processor 121 is arbitrary, and in this case, the electronic watch 100 may display the sender and the name of the mail instead of or in addition to the display of the incoming mail icon. It is assumed that the smartphone 200 is set in advance to send a notification signal to the electronic watch 100 when the smartphone 200 is connected to the electronic watch 100 through the second communication unit 135.

[0039] In this way, the electronic watch 100 can execute all the functions of the electronic watch 100 when the processor 111 is in operation, but when the processor 111 is not in operation, it is limited to being able to execute limited functions among the total functions (such as clock function, mail icon display function, step count function, body information (pulse, etc.) detection function, etc., hereinafter referred to as limited functions). However, in the case where only limited functions can be executed, it is not necessary to operate the processor 111 (the processor 111 can be set to a sleep state or a power-off state), so the power consumption of the electronic watch 100 can be suppressed to a low value.

[0040] Reference Figure 3The following describes the two operating states of the electronic timepiece 100. Here, the operating state in which the processor 111 (main CPU) of the electronic timepiece 100 operates is referred to as the normal operating state. In addition, the operating state in which the processor 111 does not operate (only the processor 121 (sub-CPU) operates as a processor) is referred to as the low power consumption operating state. In addition, the low power consumption operating state is also referred to as the power suppression state.

[0041] In the low power consumption operation state, the second control unit 120, the first operation unit 133, the second operation unit 134, the second communication unit 135, the second display unit 136, the sensor unit 137, the notification unit 138, and the power supply control unit 140 operate. Figure 3 As shown, the time display is performed by the second display unit 136 in black and white segment display. In addition, low-power consumption communication of BLE can be performed at a low speed through the second communication unit 135. In addition, limited function processing can be performed on the low-power consumption processor 121 and the low-performance OS. Instead of limiting the function, the operation of the processor 121, BLE, and black and white segment display LCD is realized as hardware, so the power consumption of the electronic watch 100 is small.

[0042] In addition, in the normal operation state, in addition to the hardware operating in the low power consumption operation state, the first control unit 110, the first communication unit 131, and the first display unit 132 are also operating. However, in the normal operation state, the second communication unit 135 and the second display unit 136 may also be in the sleep state or the power off state. In addition, in the normal operation state, Figure 3 As shown, a high-definition color display is performed through the first display unit 132. In addition, high-speed communication of classic Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be performed through the first communication unit 131. In addition, all functions of the electronic watch 100 can be processed on the high-speed processor 111 and the high-performance OS. However, as hardware, the operation of the processor 111, classic Bluetooth (registered trademark), and color high-definition LCD is performed, so the power consumption of the electronic watch 100 is greater than that of the low power consumption operation state.

[0043] In addition, if we observe Figure 3 As can be seen from the "Display Example" of the display, the black and white segment display LCD display cannot be seen in the normal operation state, and the color high-definition LCD display cannot be seen in the low power consumption operation state. Figure 4As shown in FIG. 1 , the display unit of the electronic timepiece 100 is configured such that the second display unit 136 is superimposed on the first display unit 132, which is achieved by setting the display of the second display unit 136 to a transparent state in the normal operation state. In the normal operation state, the second display unit 136 is in a transparent state, so that only the display of the first display unit 132 can be seen from the eye E. In addition, in the low power consumption operation state, the first display unit 132 is not driven, so only the display of the second display unit 136 can be seen from the eye E. With such a structure, the electronic timepiece 100 can achieve both the display of information desired by the user and the reduction of power consumption.

[0044] The electronic watch 100 switches between the above two operating states according to the situation and operates. As an example of a situation in which the normal operating state is switched to the low power consumption state, there is a situation in which a state without user operation continues for a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 1 minute, etc., a time set by the user, etc.). In addition, as an example of a situation in which the low power consumption operating state is switched to the normal operating state, there is a situation in which a notification signal indicating an incoming call from the smartphone 200 is received.

[0045] Next, refer to Figure 5 The process of switching the electronic timepiece 100 from the normal operation state to the low power consumption operation state (low power consumption operation state transition process) will be described.

[0046] First, the first control unit 110 obtains the time information measured by the timing circuit 113 and the information of the communication state of the first communication unit 131 (connection information with the communication partner, etc.) (step S111). Then, together with the time information and the communication state information, a notification (power suppression notification) notifying the transition to the low power consumption operation state is sent to the second control unit 120 (step S112).

[0047] Then, the first control unit 110 causes the first communication unit 131 and the first display unit 132 to enter the sleep state (step S113 ), and causes the control unit itself (first control unit 110 ) to enter the sleep state (step S114 ).

[0048] On the other hand, the second control unit 120 continues to wait for the power reduction notification to be sent from the first control unit 110 in the normal operation state (step S121). If the second control unit 120 does not receive the power reduction notification (step S121: No), it returns to step S121. In addition, if the second control unit 120 receives the power reduction notification (step S121: Yes), the time information measured by the timer circuit 123 is synchronized with the time measured by the timer circuit 113 based on the time information included in the notification (step S122).

[0049] Then, based on the information of the communication state included in the notification, the communication with the object communicated with by the first communication unit 131 can be restarted by the second communication unit 135 (step S123). Then, the low power consumption operation state transition process is terminated. In addition, the order of the processing of step S122 and step S123 is arbitrary, and the processing of step S122 can also be performed after the processing of step S123.

[0050] Through the above low power consumption operation state transition process, the electronic timepiece 100 switches from the normal operation state to the low power consumption operation state. The low power consumption operation state transition process is also called a power suppression transition step. In addition, it is also possible to consider a case where it is difficult to restart the communication of the second communication unit 135 based on the information of the communication state of the first communication unit 131. In such a case, the communication with the communication partner is temporarily disconnected in step S111, and the process of reconnecting with the communication partner is performed in step S123.

[0051] Next, refer to Figure 6 The process of switching the electronic timepiece 100 from the low power consumption operating state to the normal operating state (normal operating state transition process) will be described.

[0052] First, the second control unit 120 sends an interrupt signal (wake-up signal) to the first control unit 110, so that the first control unit 110 recovers from the sleep state (step S221). In addition, when the user touches the first operating unit 133 (touch screen), the low power consumption operation state is also switched to the normal operation state. In this case, the first operating unit 133 sends an interrupt signal (wake-up signal) to the first control unit 110, so that the first control unit 110 recovers from the sleep state. Then, the first control unit 110 that recovers from the sleep state according to the interrupt signal from the first operating unit 133 sends a notification (sending entrustment notification) to the second control unit 120 requesting the sending of the normal transition notification described later. Then, the second control unit 120 that receives the sending entrustment notification starts processing from step S222 of the normal operation state transition process.

[0053] The second control unit 120 that sends an interrupt signal to the first control unit 110, or the second control unit 120 that receives a sending entrustment notification from the first control unit 110, obtains the time information of the timing circuit 123 and the communication status information of the second communication unit 135 (such as the connection information with the communication partner) (step S222).

[0054] Then, the second control unit 120 sends a notification (normal transition notification) notifying the transition to the normal operation state, the time information, and the communication state information to the first control unit 110 (step S223). Then, the second control unit 120 sets the second display unit 136 to a transparent state (step S224), and causes the second communication unit 135 to transition to a sleep state (step S225). In addition, the order of the processing of step S224 and step S225 is arbitrary, and the processing of step S224 may be performed after the processing of step S225.

[0055] On the other hand, if an interrupt signal (wake-up signal) is received, the first control unit 110 recovers from the sleep state and starts the normal operation state transition process. Then, it waits for the normal transition notification to be sent from the second control unit 120 (step S211). If the normal transition notification is not received (step S211: No), the first control unit 110 returns to step S211. In addition, if the normal transition notification is received (step S211: Yes), the first control unit 110 synchronizes the time information counted by the timer circuit 113 with the time counted by the timer circuit 123 based on the time information included in the notification (step S212).

[0056] Then, the first control unit 110 enables the communication with the object communicated with through the second communication unit 135 to be restarted through the first communication unit 131 based on the information of the communication state included in the notification (step S213). Then, the normal operation state transition process is terminated. In addition, the order of the processing of step S212 and step S213 is arbitrary, and the processing of step S212 may be performed after the processing of step S213.

[0057] Through the above normal operation state transition process, the electronic timepiece 100 switches from the low power consumption operation state to the normal operation state. The normal operation state transition process is also called a normal state transition step. In addition, it is also possible to consider a situation where it is difficult to restart the communication of the first communication unit 131 based on the information of the communication state of the second communication unit 135. In such a case, the communication with the communication partner is temporarily disconnected in step S222, and the process of reconnecting with the communication partner is performed in step S213.

[0058] Next, refer to Figure 7 The operation state switching process, which is a process for switching the operation state of the electronic timepiece 100 according to the situation, will be described. When the electronic timepiece 100 is started, the operation state switching process is started as one thread and starts processing in parallel with other threads. Figure 7 In the above description, it is assumed that the electronic timepiece 100 is first in the normal operation state when it is started. If the electronic timepiece 100 is first in the low power consumption operation state when it is started, the operation state switching process may be started from step S103.

[0059] The first control unit 110 determines whether the state without user operation continues for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) (step S101) based on the signals from the first operation unit 133 and the second operation unit 134. If the state without user operation does not continue for more than the predetermined time (step S101: No), the process returns to step S101.

[0060] If the state without user operation continues for a predetermined time or longer (step S101 : Yes), the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 perform the low power consumption operation state transition process, and the electronic timepiece 100 transitions to the low power consumption operation state (step S102 ).

[0061] Next, the second control unit 120 determines whether the second communication unit 135 receives a notification signal from the smartphone 200 (step S103). The notification signal is, for example, a signal notifying the smartphone 200 of an incoming call or email. If the notification signal is not received (step S103: No), the first operation unit 133 determines whether a user touches the touch screen module (step S104). If no touch is detected (step S104: No), the process returns to step S103. If a touch is detected (step S104: Yes), the process proceeds to step S107.

[0062] On the other hand, if the second communication unit 135 receives a notification signal in step S103 (step S103: Yes), the second control unit 120 determines whether the notification signal includes information indicating a high priority (step S105). The priority is set in advance by the user, the sender of the email, the electronic device system 1, etc. For example, the notification signal notifying the incoming call and the notification signal of the email from the sender whose priority is set high by the user include information indicating a high priority. In step S105, the second control unit 120 functions as a priority acquisition unit.

[0063] If the notification signal does not include information indicating a high priority (step S105: No), the second control unit 120 displays an icon on the second display unit 136 (step S106), and returns to step S103. Here, the icon is, for example, a pattern indicating an incoming mail, and it is assumed that each pattern of a chart is set in the second display unit 136 by segment display.

[0064] If the notification signal includes information indicating a high priority (step S105: Yes), the second control unit 120 performs the above-mentioned normal operation state transition process to restore the first control unit 110 from the sleep state, and the electronic watch 100 transitions to the normal operation state (step S107). Then, the first control unit 110 starts data communication with the smartphone 200 through the first communication unit (step S108), and receives the body of the email according to the user's instructions. Then, the process returns to step S101.

[0065] The above describes the operation state switching process. Through the operation state switching process described above, the electronic watch 100 operates in a low power consumption operation state for as long as possible, and immediately switches to a normal operation state when the user wants to perform a function other than a limited function. Therefore, the electronic watch 100 can extend the battery life without making the user aware that the function is limited. That is, in the electronic watch disclosed in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2016-161324, the basic functions can be maintained for a long time by performing function restrictions corresponding to the voltage of the secondary battery. However, the electronic watch does not perform function restrictions during the period before the voltage of the secondary battery drops, and consumes more power. Therefore, it is also possible to consider the situation where the voltage of the secondary battery has dropped when the user wants to use functions other than the basic functions. In such a case, the result is that the user cannot use functions other than the basic functions. According to the present invention, the battery life can be extended without making the user feel the function restrictions.

[0066] In addition, Figure 7 In the above-mentioned operation state switching process shown, in order to prevent the description from becoming complicated, as a trigger for the transition from the low-power consumption operation state to the normal operation state, only the reception determination of the notification signal (step S103) and the detection determination of the touch (step S104) are performed, but it is not limited to these. For example, it also includes the following situation, that is, the user wants to confirm the number of steps and other information through the color display (first display unit 132), and the color display is displayed through the movement of the wrist (gesture action). In this case, the second control unit 120 determines the gesture action based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor possessed by the sensor unit 137, and when the gesture action is detected, it proceeds to the processing of step S107. As a result, the electronic watch 100 also switches to the normal operation state according to the gesture action, so that the concern that the user will feel uncomfortable in operation due to the low-power consumption operation state can be further reduced.

[0067] In addition, the following modified example can be considered, that is, the user pre-sets whether to "desire to always maintain the icon display (desire the electronic timepiece 100 to be in the low power consumption operation state (power suppression state) for as long as possible)" Figure 7In the previous step of step S105, the second control unit 120 determines "Does the user's setting want to always display icons?" In this modified example, if the determination is yes, the process proceeds to step S106, and if it is no, the process proceeds to step S105. When making this determination, the second control unit 120 functions as a user setting acquisition unit.

[0068] In this modified example, when the user sets the setting "desire to always display icons", the electronic timepiece 100 maintains the low power consumption operation state of displaying icons even when receiving a notification signal sent from the smartphone 200, and proceeds to step S107 only after detecting a touch operation or gesture operation by the user. Thus, as long as the user does not switch to the normal operation state, the electronic timepiece 100 can maintain the low power consumption operation state, and the battery life can be extended accordingly.

[0069] In addition, Figure 7 In the above-mentioned operation state switching process shown, although the description is omitted, when the operation state is transferred to the normal state in step S107, the second control unit 120 can also control the notification unit 138 to notify the user of the transfer to the normal state. For example, it can be considered to ring a predetermined sound or make the electronic watch 100 vibrate according to a predetermined vibration pattern. Similarly, when the second display unit 136 displays an icon in step S106, the second control unit 120 can also control the notification unit 138 to notify the user that the icon is displayed. Thus, even when the operation is performed in a low power consumption state, when information that must be notified to the user immediately is received, the user can be notified of the information immediately.

[0070] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various combinations and changes can be made.

[0071] For example, in the above embodiment, the first communication unit 131 is a communication device corresponding to the communication standard of classic Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the second communication unit 135 is a communication device corresponding to the communication standard of BLE, but it is not limited to this. For example, the following embodiment can also be considered, that is, the first communication unit 131 is a communication device corresponding to the communication standard of high-speed wireless LAN such as IEEE802.11n, and the second communication unit 135 is a communication device corresponding to the communication standard of classic Bluetooth (registered trademark). If the power consumption of the second communication unit 135 is lower than the power consumption of the first communication unit 131, the electronic watch 100 can use a communication device corresponding to any communication standard that meets the required specifications.

[0072] The relationship between the first display unit 132 and the second display unit 136 is similar. If the power consumption of the second display unit 136 is lower than that of the first display unit 132, the electronic timepiece 100 can use any first display unit 132 and second display unit 136 that meet the required specifications. Similarly, if the power consumption of the second control unit 120 is lower than that of the first control unit 110, the electronic timepiece 100 can use any first control unit 110 and second control unit 120 that meet the required specifications.

[0073] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is described that the first communication unit 131 and the first control unit 110 are set to the sleep state, and the second control unit 120 or the first operation unit 133 restores the first control unit 110 from the sleep state, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first control unit 110 may be transferred to the sleep state, but the first communication unit 131 may not be transferred to the sleep state but maintain the wireless communication connection. When the first communication unit 131 receives a signal or information other than for maintaining the wireless communication connection between the electronic watch 100 and the smartphone 200, the first communication unit 131 restores the first control unit 110 from the sleep state.

[0074] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the electronic watch 100 is cited as an example of an electronic device having a built-in first control unit 110 and a second control unit 120, but the present invention is not limited to electronic watches, and can be applied to any electronic device equipped with a first device group (first control unit 110, first communication unit 131, first display unit 132) with high performance and high power consumption, such as smart watches, smart phones, wearable devices, and a second device group (second control unit 120, second communication unit 135, second display unit 136) with lower performance than the first device group but lower power consumption.

[0075] In addition, for example, the program executed by the first control unit 110 and the second control unit 120 can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a floppy disk, a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)-ROM, a memory card, etc. Furthermore, the program can be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program can also be published on an electronic bulletin board (BBS: Bulletin Board System) on a communication network. In addition, it can also be configured to start the program and execute it in the same way as other application programs under the control of the OS (Operating System), thereby performing the above-mentioned processing.

[0076] In addition, specific details such as the configuration, control procedures, and display examples shown in the above-mentioned embodiments can be appropriately changed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0077] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope equivalent thereto.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that: have: A first control unit having a first timing circuit; The second control unit has a second timing circuit, When the sleep state in which power consumption is suppressed is shifted to a normal operation state, that is, a normal state, the second control unit sends a wake-up signal to the first control unit, When the first control unit receives the wake-up signal from the second control unit, the first control unit waits for the second time information measured by the second timing circuit to be transmitted from the second control unit. The second control unit sends the second time information to the first control unit, The first control unit synchronizes the first timing circuit with the received second time information.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electronic device further comprises: First Department of Communications; Second Department of Communications, When the first control unit receives the wake-up signal from the second control unit, the first control unit waits for the second control unit to transmit information on the communication status. The second control unit sends the information of the communication status to the first control unit, The first control unit can restart, through the first communication unit, communication with a target party with which the second communication unit has communicated, based on the received information on the communication state.

3. An electronic device, characterized in that: have: First control unit; First Department of Communications; Second control unit; Second Department of Communications, When the sleep state in which power consumption is suppressed is shifted to a normal operation state, that is, a normal state, the second control unit sends a wake-up signal to the first control unit, When the first control unit receives the wake-up signal from the second control unit, the first control unit waits for the second control unit to transmit information on the communication status. The second control unit sends the information of the communication status to the first control unit, The first control unit can restart, through the first communication unit, communication with a target party with which the second communication unit has communicated, based on the received information on the communication state.

4. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The second control unit consumes less power than the first control unit.

5. A method for controlling an electronic device, the electronic device comprising: A first control unit having a first timing circuit; The second control unit has a second timing circuit, It is characterized in that When the sleep state in which power consumption is suppressed is shifted to a normal operation state, that is, a normal state, the second control unit sends a wake-up signal to the first control unit, When the first control unit receives the wake-up signal from the second control unit, the first control unit waits for the second time information measured by the second timing circuit to be transmitted from the second control unit. The second control unit sends the second time information to the first control unit, The first control unit synchronizes the first timing circuit with the received second time information.

6. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The electronic device further comprises: First Department of Communications; Second Department of Communications, When the first control unit receives the wake-up signal from the second control unit, the first control unit waits for the second control unit to transmit information on the communication status. The second control unit sends the information of the communication status to the first control unit, The first control unit can restart, through the first communication unit, communication with a target party with which the second communication unit has communicated, based on the received information on the communication state.

7. A method for controlling an electronic device, the electronic device comprising: First control unit; First Department of Communications; Second control unit; Second Department of Communications, It is characterized in that When the sleep state in which power consumption is suppressed is shifted to a normal operation state, that is, a normal state, the second control unit sends a wake-up signal to the first control unit, When the first control unit receives the wake-up signal from the second control unit, the first control unit waits for the second control unit to transmit information on the communication status. The second control unit sends the information of the communication status to the first control unit, The first control unit can restart, through the first communication unit, communication with a target party with which the second communication unit has communicated, based on the received information on the communication state.

8. A recording medium of an electronic device having a program recorded thereon, the electronic device comprising: A first control unit having a first timing circuit; The second control unit has a second timing circuit, It is characterized in that The program is used to enable the electronic device to perform the following steps: When the sleep state in which power consumption is suppressed is shifted to a normal operation state, that is, a normal state, the second control unit sends a wake-up signal to the first control unit, When the first control unit receives the wake-up signal from the second control unit, the first control unit waits for the second time information measured by the second timing circuit to be transmitted from the second control unit. The second control unit sends the second time information to the first control unit, The first control unit synchronizes the first timing circuit with the received second time information.

9. The recording medium according to claim 8, wherein The electronic device further comprises: First Department of Communications; Second Department of Communications, The program enables the electronic device to perform the following steps: When the first control unit receives the wake-up signal from the second control unit, the first control unit waits for the second control unit to transmit information on the communication status. The second control unit sends the information of the communication status to the first control unit, The first control unit can restart, through the first communication unit, communication with a target party with which the second communication unit has communicated, based on the received information on the communication state.

10. A recording medium of an electronic device having a program recorded thereon, the electronic device comprising: First control unit; First Department of Communications; Second control unit; Second Department of Communications, It is characterized in that The program is used to enable the electronic device to perform the following steps: When the sleep state in which power consumption is suppressed is shifted to a normal operation state, that is, a normal state, the second control unit sends a wake-up signal to the first control unit, When the first control unit receives the wake-up signal from the second control unit, the first control unit waits for the second control unit to transmit information on the communication status. The second control unit sends the information of the communication status to the first control unit, The first control unit can restart, through the first communication unit, communication with a target party with which the second communication unit has communicated, based on the received information on the communication state.

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