Electronic apparatus, control method, and program

Abstract

To notify a user that supply voltage is in transition in a power supply apparatus when supplying power from the power supply apparatus to a power receiving apparatus, thereby improving convenience for the user.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus has connection means that connects to a power supply apparatus, and control means that controls the operation of the electronic apparatus with power received from the power supply apparatus. When power supplied from the power supply apparatus is changed on the basis of the power consumption of the electronic apparatus, the control means performs notification to a user for a period until the power supplied from the power supply apparatus is changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for notifying an operating state of an electronic device. [Background technology]

[0002] The USB (Universal Serial Bus) PD (Power Delivery) standard allows a power supply device (source device) and a power receiving device (sink device) to communicate to determine the power that can be supplied or received based on power rules consisting of a combination of voltage and current values. The power supply is determined by the power rules when the source device and sink device are connected, and the supplied power cannot be changed while power is being supplied.

[0003] In addition, a function called PPS (Programmable Power Supply) in the USB PD standard differs from power supply based on power rules in that it communicates (PPS communication) between the source device and sink device while power is being supplied, and can change the power requested of the power supply device from a combination of multiple voltage and current values.

[0004] One method of power supply according to the USB PD standard is to supply a voltage high enough to allow the powered device to operate in all operating modes. However, in power supply circuits such as DC-DC converters and switching regulators, the greater the difference between the input and output voltage, the greater the power loss. Therefore, with this power supply method, if the powered device is set to an operating mode that allows it to operate at a voltage lower than the supply voltage, the power loss will be large. On the other hand, if the power supply device and the powered device are compliant with PPS, the supply voltage can be changed according to changes in the operating mode of the powered device even while power is being supplied, so it is possible to reduce power loss by optimizing the difference between the input and output voltage even when the operating mode is changed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-287017 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, changing the supply voltage by the PPS of the USB PD standard requires transition time. For example, when a user performs an operation to change the operating mode of a power receiving device, it takes time for the supply voltage of the power source device to reach the voltage value required by the power receiving device. If the operating mode of the power receiving device is changed again while the supply voltage of the power source device is transitioning, it may not be possible to supply sufficient power to the power receiving device, which may affect its operation.

[0007] In order to avoid such a situation, it is conceivable to disable the operation of the power receiving device by the user during the period when the supply voltage of the power supply device is transitioning. In this case, for example, it is conceivable to gray out the screen so that the user cannot change the operation mode, but simply graying out the screen will not allow the user to recognize the reason why the screen is grayed out, and the user will not be able to operate the power receiving device, which will reduce user convenience.

[0008] Patent Document 1 also describes a technique for notifying the user to confirm whether or not to switch to a power-saving mode when the user has not operated the electronic device for a certain period of time. However, Patent Document 1 does not solve the problem of reduced convenience during the transition period of the supply voltage accompanying the change of the operating mode, because the electronic device notifies the user before switching the operating mode to the power-saving mode.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to realize a technology that improves user convenience by notifying a user that a supply voltage is transitioning in a power supplying device when power is supplied from a power supplying device to a power receiving device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the electronic device of the present invention has a connection means for connecting to a power supply device and a control means for controlling the operation of the electronic device using power received from the power supply device, and when the power supplied from the power supply device is changed based on the power consumption of the electronic device, the control means notifies a user for a period until the power supplied from the power supply device is changed. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, when power is supplied from a power supply device to a power receiving device, the user is notified that the supply voltage is in transition in the power supply device, thereby improving user convenience. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power supply device and a power receiving device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power receiving device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing a control process of a power receiving device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power receiving device according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a control process of a power receiving device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] 13A to 13C are diagrams for explaining a method for calculating the duration of a state transition notification according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0014] In this embodiment, when power is supplied from a power supplying device to a power receiving device, during a period in which the supply voltage of the power supplying device is transitioning due to a change in the operation mode of the power receiving device, the user is notified that the supply voltage is transitioning in the power supplying device, thereby improving user convenience.

[0015] [Embodiment 1] Next, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0016] First, the hardware configuration of a power supply device and a power receiving device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0017] In this embodiment, the power supply device 100 and the power receiving device 150 comply with the USB PD standard, and the power supplied from the power supply device 100 to the power receiving device 150 can be changed by the PPS.

[0018] The power supply device 100 is, for example, a charger or a mobile battery that complies with the USB PD standard. The power receiving device 150 is an electronic device such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, or a smartphone that complies with the USB PD standard.

[0019] The power supply device 100 includes an information acquisition unit 101 and a connection unit 102. The information acquisition unit 101 communicates with the information acquisition unit 154 of the power receiving device 150 to determine the power supply. The connection unit 102 is communicably connected to the connection unit 152 of the power receiving device 150, and realizes transmission and reception of information between the information acquisition unit 101 and the information acquisition unit 154. The information acquisition unit 101 determines the power supply of the power receiving device 150 based on a current value and a voltage value requested by the information acquisition unit 154 of the power receiving device 150. In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 101 and the information acquisition unit 154 include a PD (Power Delivery) controller. The PD controller communicates with other PD controllers and determines settings related to the power supply. For example, the PD controller determines the role of power supply and the power supply.

[0020] In the power receiving device 150, a microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as a microcomputer) 151a controls the operation of each component of the power receiving device 150 by executing a control program such as firmware.

[0021] The microcomputer 151a includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output control circuit (I / O control circuit), a multiplexer, a timer circuit, an RRPEOM, an A / D converter, and a D / A converter, and is configured as a single microcomputer-embedded IC chip.

[0022] The microcomputer 151a controls the operation of the power receiving device 150 based on input information from an operation unit 155 provided in the power receiving device 150. The operation unit 155 is a touch panel, a switch, a button, a dial, a joystick, or the like.

[0023] The notification unit 156 performs state transition notification during transition of the supply voltage based on notification control information from the microcomputer 151a. The notification unit 156 is a display panel integrated with a touch panel, a peer-type finder, an LED, or the like.

[0024] The voltage detection unit 153a detects a voltage value of power supplied from the power supply device 100. Furthermore, the voltage detection unit 153a compares the voltage value supplied from the power supply device 100 with a voltage threshold value output from the microcomputer 151a. The voltage detection unit 153a is configured with a hardware circuit such as a comparator, but may be realized by software processing of the microcomputer 151a.

[0025] Next, the functional configuration of the microcomputer 151a of the power receiving device 150 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0026] Each function of the microcomputer 151a is configured by hardware and / or software. When each functional unit of the microcomputer 151a shown in FIG. 2 is configured by hardware instead of by software, it is sufficient to have a circuit configuration corresponding to each functional unit in FIG.

[0027] When the operation mode of the power receiving device 150 is changed based on the operation mode set by the user via the operation unit 155, the operation control unit 204 outputs mode information related to the changed operation mode to the power consumption determination unit 202.

[0028] The power consumption determining unit 202 compares power information related to the power consumption of the power receiving device 150 before and after the change of the operation mode based on the mode information, and determines whether the operation mode has been changed. In this embodiment, the power information is stored in a memory such as a ROM, and is information consisting of a combination of a current value and a voltage value. The power consumption determining unit 202 obtains power information associated with the operation mode of the power receiving device 150 based on the mode information obtained from the operation control unit 204. The power consumption determining unit 202 calculates the product of the current value and the voltage value before and after the change of the operation mode, and determines whether the power consumption has been changed by comparing the calculation results.

[0029] Furthermore, when the power consumption determining unit 202 determines that the operation mode has been changed based on the mode information, the power consumption determining unit 202 acquires a voltage threshold. In this embodiment, the voltage threshold is stored in a memory such as a ROM. The power consumption determining unit 202 acquires a voltage threshold associated with the operation mode based on the mode information. The voltage threshold is a minimum voltage value at which the power receiving device 150 can operate normally in the operation mode associated with the voltage threshold.

[0030] The notification control unit 203a controls the notification unit 156 based on the determination result of the power consumption determination unit 202. Furthermore, the notification control unit 203a controls the notification unit 156 based on the detection result of the voltage detection unit 153a.

[0031] The mode setting unit 201 controls the change of the operation mode based on the determination result of the power consumption determining unit 202. The mode setting unit 201 also controls the change of the operation mode based on the detection result of the voltage detecting unit 153a.

[0032] Next, the control process of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process of performing a state transition notification during a period in which the supply voltage of the power supply device 100 is transitioning after the user performs an operation to change the operation mode through the operation unit 155.

[0034] The processing in FIG. 3 is realized by the microcomputer 151a executing a control program such as firmware stored in a memory such as a ROM and controlling the operation of each component of the power receiving device 150.

[0035] In step S301, the power consumption determining unit 202 compares the power consumption information of the power receiving device 150 before and after the change of the operation mode based on the mode information, and determines whether or not the power consumption has changed. The power consumption determining unit 202 outputs the determination result to the notification control unit 203 and the mode setting unit 201. The power consumption determining unit 202 also outputs the current value and the voltage value to the information acquiring unit 154. Furthermore, the power consumption determining unit 202 outputs a voltage threshold value to the voltage detecting unit 153a.

[0036] If the power consumption determining unit 202 determines based on the mode information that the power consumption of the power receiving device 150 has changed, the process proceeds to step S302. If the power consumption determining unit 202 determines based on the operation mode information that the power consumption of the power receiving device 150 has not changed, the process proceeds to step S308.

[0037] In step S302, the notification control unit 203 outputs notification control information to the notification unit 156. Based on the notification control information, the notification unit 156 starts a state transition notification indicating that the supply voltage of the power supply device 100 is in transition.

[0038] In this embodiment, if the power consumption of the power receiving device 150 increases in step S301, a state transition notification is sent, and if the power consumption of the power receiving device 150 does not increase or decreases, the operation mode of the power receiving device 150 is changed in step S308 without sending a state transition notification.

[0039] In step S303, mode setting unit 201 reserves the change of the operation mode.

[0040] In step S304, the information acquisition unit 154 requests the power supply device 100 to change the supply power based on the current value and voltage value after the change in the operation mode.

[0041] In step S305, the voltage detection unit 153a compares the supply voltage value of the power supply device 100 with a voltage threshold and determines whether the supply voltage value has reached the voltage threshold. If the voltage detection unit 153a determines that the supply voltage value has reached the voltage threshold, it outputs the determination result to the mode setting unit 201 and the notification control unit 203.

[0042] If the voltage detection unit 153a detects that the supply voltage value has reached the voltage threshold, the process proceeds to step S306. If the voltage detection unit 153a does not detect that the supply voltage value has reached the voltage threshold, the process returns to step S304, and the comparison of the supply voltage value with the voltage threshold is continued.

[0043] In step S306, the mode setting unit 201 executes a change of the operation mode in response to the supply voltage value of the power supply equipment 100 reaching the voltage threshold value and the end of the transition period of the supply voltage.

[0044] In step S307, in response to the end of the transition period of the supply voltage, notification control unit 203 outputs notification control information to notification unit 156. Notification unit 156 ends the state transition notification based on the notification control information.

[0045] In step S308, the mode setting unit 201 changes the operation mode.

[0046] As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the operation mode of the power receiving device 150 is changed, the change of the operation mode is suspended until the end of the transition period of the supply voltage due to the change in the power consumption of the power receiving device 150, and a state transition notification is performed during the transition of the supply voltage of the power supply device. This allows the user to recognize the reason why the power receiving device 150 becomes inoperable after the operation to change the operation mode is performed, thereby improving convenience.

[0047] [Embodiment 2] Next, a second embodiment will be described.

[0048] The configuration of the power supply device 100 of the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0049] First, the configuration of the power receiving device 150 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0050] In the power receiving device 150 of the second embodiment, a microcomputer 151b has a voltage detection unit 153b, and the functions of the voltage detection unit 153b and the notification control unit 203b are different from those of the first embodiment. The other configurations and functions are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0051] The power receiving device 150 of the first embodiment does not have a function of notifying the user of the duration of the state transition notification. Therefore, the user cannot know the remaining time until the transition period of the supply voltage due to the change in power consumption of the power receiving device 150 ends and the change in the operation mode is completed, and there is room for improvement in convenience.

[0052] In contrast, in the power receiving device 150 of the second embodiment, the voltage detection unit 153b has a function of calculating the transition time of the supply voltage. The transition time calculation function of the voltage detection unit 153b is realized by software processing by the microcomputer 151b. The voltage detection unit 153b calculates the transition time of the supply voltage based on time information and supply voltage value information held in a memory such as a ROM.

[0053] The notification control unit 203b notifies the user of the duration of the state transition notification based on the transition time calculated by the voltage detection unit 153b. This allows the user to know the remaining time until the change of the operation mode is completed, thereby improving convenience.

[0054] Next, the control process of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process of performing a state transition notification during a period in which the supply voltage of the power supply device 100 is transitioning after the user performs an operation to change the operation mode through the operation unit 155.

[0056] The process of FIG. 5 is realized by the microcomputer 151b executing a control program such as firmware stored in a memory such as a ROM and controlling the operation of each component of the power receiving device 150.

[0057] The processes in steps S301 to S304 are the same as those in FIG.

[0058] In step S501, the voltage detection unit 153b calculates the duration of the state transition notification and outputs it to the notification control unit 203b. The notification control unit 203b outputs notification control information to the notification unit 156 based on the duration of the state transition notification.

[0059] In step S502, the notification unit 156 starts a state transition notification including information that the supply voltage is in transition and the duration of the state transition notification, based on the notification control information.

[0060] Next, a method for calculating the duration of a state transition notification will be described with reference to FIG.

[0061] Time 0 is the time when the supply voltage starts to transition. Time 1 is the time immediately after the supply voltage transitions, and the supply voltage value acquired by voltage detection unit 153b at time 1 is set to voltage 1. Time 2 is the time when period 1 has elapsed since time 1, and the supply voltage value acquired by voltage detection unit 153b at time 2 is set to voltage 2. Time 3 is the estimated time when the supply voltage value will reach the voltage threshold value.

[0062] In the second embodiment, the period 1 is determined based on the standard value of the USB PD standard. A method for determining the period 1 will be described. According to the USB PD standard, when the supply voltage is changed by PPS, the range of the supply voltage value that can be changed in one communication is specified as 20 mV to 500 mV. In addition, the range of the transition time of the supply voltage in one communication is specified as 25 ms to 275 ms. From these specifications, the transition time of the supply voltage is the shortest when the voltage change is completed in one time and the transition time is the minimum, 25 ms. Therefore, the period 1 is determined to be a period sufficiently shorter than 25 ms.

[0063] After the supply voltage of the power supply equipment 100 starts to transition, the voltage detection unit 153b acquires a voltage 1 V_t1 and a voltage 2 V_t2 at a time 1 t1 and a time 2 t2, respectively. A time 3 t3 at which the supply voltage reaches the voltage threshold VREF is calculated by the following formula 1. A duration t4 of the state transition notification is the time from the time 2 at which the supply voltage value is last acquired to the time 3, and is therefore calculated by the following formula 2. (Formula 1) t3={(VREF-V_t1) / (V_t1-V_t2)}×(t1-t2) (Formula 2) t4=t3-t2 The notification control unit 203b outputs notification control information to the notification unit 156 based on the duration calculated by the above formula 2, and the notification unit 156 performs a state transition notification including the fact that the supply voltage of the power supply device 100 is in transition and the duration of the state transition notification.

[0064] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the user is notified of the duration of the state transition notification in addition to the fact that the supply voltage is in transition, thereby making it possible to further improve convenience compared to the first embodiment.

[0065] Although the present embodiment has been described in detail above based on the preferred embodiments, the present embodiment is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present embodiment. Parts of the above-described embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0066] [Other embodiments] This embodiment can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiment to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0067] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention.

[0068] The disclosure of this specification includes the following electronic device, control method, and program. [Configuration 1] An electronic device, A connection means for connecting to a power supply device; a control unit that controls an operation of the electronic device using the power received from the power supply device, The electronic device is characterized in that, when the power supplied from the power supply device is changed based on the power consumption of the electronic device, the control means notifies a user of the change in the power supplied from the power supply device for a period until the change in the power supplied from the power supply device. [Configuration 2] The electronic device described in configuration 1, characterized in that the control means suspends the change of the operation mode of the electronic device until the power supplied from the power supply device is changed based on the power consumption of the electronic device, which is changed according to the operation mode of the electronic device, and performs the notification until the power supplied from the electronic device is changed. [Configuration 3] The electronic device according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means requests a change in the power supplied from the power supply device based on the power consumption of the electronic device, which is changed according to the operation mode of the electronic device. [Configuration 4] The electronic device according to configuration 3, wherein the control means, after requesting the power supplying device to change the power supplied from the power supplying device, estimates a time until the voltage of the power supplied from the power supplying device transitions to a predetermined voltage, and displays a duration of the notification. [Configuration 5] The electronic device according to configuration 3 or 4, wherein the control means terminates the notification when a voltage of the power supplied from the power supplying device reaches a predetermined voltage after requesting the power supplying device to change the power supplied from the power supplying device. [Configuration 6] The control means issues the notification when power consumption of the electronic device increases, 3. The electronic device according to configuration 2, wherein if the power consumption of the electronic device does not increase, the operation mode of the electronic device is changed without issuing the notification. [Configuration 7] the connection means is an interface conforming to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) PD (Power Delivery) standard, 7. The electronic device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the electronic device is capable of communicating with the power supply device by a Programmable Power Supply (PPS) of the USB PD standard. [Configuration 8] A method for controlling an electronic device having a connection means for connecting to a power supply device, comprising: A step of controlling an operation of the electronic device using the power received from the power supply device, A control method characterized in that, in the step, when the power supplied from the power supply device is changed based on the power consumption of the electronic device, a user is notified for a period until the power supplied from the power supply device is changed. [Configuration 9] A program for causing a computer to function as an electronic device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 100... power supply device, 150... power receiving device, 151a, 151b... microcomputer, 102, 152... connection unit, 153a, 153b... voltage detection unit, 154... information acquisition unit, 201... mode setting unit, 202... power consumption determination unit, 203a, 203b... notification control unit

Claims

1. An electronic device, A connection means for connecting to a power supply device; a control unit that controls an operation of the electronic device using the power received from the power supply device, The electronic device is characterized in that, when the power supplied from the power supply device is changed based on the power consumption of the electronic device, the control means notifies a user of the change in the power supplied from the power supply device during a period until the change in the power supplied from the power supply device.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means suspends the change of the operation mode of the electronic device until the power supplied from the power supply device is changed based on the power consumption of the electronic device, which is changed according to the operation mode of the electronic device, and performs the notification until the power supplied from the electronic device is changed.

3. 2 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit requests a change in the power supplied from the power supply device based on a power consumption of the electronic device that is changed according to an operation mode of the electronic device.

4. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the control means estimates a time until a voltage of the power supplied from the power supply device transitions to a predetermined voltage after requesting the power supply device to change the power supplied from the power supply device, and displays a duration of the notification.

5. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit terminates the notification when a voltage of the power supplied from the power supplying device reaches a predetermined voltage after requesting the power supplying device to change the power supplied from the power supplying device.

6. The control means issues the notification when power consumption of the electronic device increases, 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein, when the power consumption of the electronic device does not increase, the operation mode of the electronic device is changed without issuing the notification.

7. the connection means is an interface conforming to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) PD (Power Delivery) standard, 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is capable of communicating with the power supply device by PPS (Programmable Power Supply) of the USB PD standard.

8. A method for controlling an electronic device having a connection means for connecting to a power supply device, comprising: A step of controlling an operation of the electronic device using the power received from the power supply device, A control method characterized in that, in the step, when the power supplied from the power supply device is changed based on the power consumption of the electronic device, a user is notified for a period until the power supplied from the power supply device is changed.

9. A program for causing a computer to function as the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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