Information processing device, power control method, and program

Abstract

To improve user experiences relating to power management.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes: a mode setting unit 21 that has a plurality of modes relating to power consumption and sets one of the modes as an execution mode; a battery information acquisition unit 22 that obtains battery information; a first operation unit 24 that calculates a drivable time of the execution mode by using the battery information; a second operation unit 25 that calculates a drivable time of another mode than the execution mode from the drivable time of the execution mode by using a conversion parameter for converting a drivable time between the plurality of modes; and a notification unit 26 that notifies a user of the drivable time of the execution mode and the drivable time of another mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a power control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in portable information processing devices such as notebook PCs, tablet terminals, and smartphones, a technique has been proposed for changing the operation mode related to the power consumption of the information processing device according to the remaining battery power (for example, see Patent Document 1). Also, it is common to calculate the battery drive time in the currently set operation mode using the remaining battery power and the power consumption, and present the battery drive time to the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7345024 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the remaining battery power is low, the battery life can be extended by changing the operating mode to one with a higher power-saving effect. However, in the past, when changing the operating mode, the user was not notified in advance of the specific effect of changing the operating mode, such as the extent to which the battery life would be extended, making it difficult for the user to determine whether or not it was necessary to change the power-saving setting in the first place.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an information processing device, a power control method, and a program that can improve the user experience regarding power management. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device having a plurality of modes related to power consumption, comprising: a mode setting means for setting one of the modes as an execution mode; a battery information acquisition means for acquiring battery information; a first calculation means for calculating an available driving time for the execution mode using the battery information; a second calculation means for calculating an available driving time for a mode other than the execution mode from the available driving time for the execution mode using a conversion parameter for converting available driving times between a plurality of modes; and a notification means for notifying a user of the available driving time for the execution mode and the available driving times for the other modes.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a power control method executed by a computer, which has a plurality of modes related to power consumption, and includes a mode setting process for setting one of the modes as an execution mode; a battery information acquisition process for acquiring battery information; a first calculation process for calculating an available drive time for the execution mode using the battery information; a second calculation process for calculating an available drive time for a mode other than the execution mode from the available drive time for the execution mode using a conversion parameter for converting available drive times between a plurality of modes; and a notification process for notifying a user of the available drive time for the execution mode and the available drive times for the other modes.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device described above. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the user experience regarding power management. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic external view of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of functions provided in an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a parameter acquisition method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a power control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of functions included in an information processing device according to a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An information processing device, a power control method, and a program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, a laptop PC (notebook PC) will be described as an example of the information processing device 1, but the information processing device 1 is not limited to this example. For example, the information processing device 1 may be any information processing device equipped with a battery, and other examples include a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a game terminal, and a 2-in-1 PC.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic external view of an information processing device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing device 1 includes a first housing 2 and a second housing 3. The first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are connected by a connecting member 8 so as to be capable of being opened and closed relatively. An example of the connecting member 8 is a hinge.

[0013] The first housing 2 is substantially rectangular, and includes a display 5 provided on a surface facing the second housing 3. The display 5 has a display screen configured with, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence), or the like. The display 5 may also be a touch panel display with a touch panel superimposed thereon.

[0014] The second housing 3 is substantially rectangular, and an input device 4 is provided on a first surface of the second housing 3. The input device 4 is a user interface for a user to perform input operations. Examples of the input device 4 include a keyboard, a touchpad, a trackpoint, and the like. The input device 4 may be a software keyboard or the like. That is, the first surface of the second housing 3 may have a touch panel, and a screen such as a keyboard may be displayed on the touch panel to function as the input device 4.

[0015] Next, the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the information processing device 1 includes, in addition to the above-mentioned input device 4 and display 5, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 11, a main memory 12, a secondary storage 13, an external interface 14, a communication interface 15, a power supply circuit 16, a battery 6, and an AC adapter 7. These components are connected to each other directly or indirectly via a bus 18, and cooperate with each other to execute various processes.

[0016] The CPU 11 controls the entire information processing device 1 by, for example, an OS (Operating System) stored in a secondary storage device 13 connected via a bus 18, and executes various processes by executing various programs stored in the secondary storage device 13. One or more CPUs 11 may be provided, and they may cooperate with each other to realize processes.

[0017] The main memory device 12 is composed of writable memory such as a cache memory or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is used as a working area for reading out the execution program of the CPU 11, writing processing data by the execution program, and the like.

[0018] The secondary storage device 13 is a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The secondary storage device 13 is, for example, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Examples of the secondary storage device 13 include a ROM (Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and a SSD (Solid State Drive) flash memory. The secondary storage device 13 stores, for example, an OS for controlling the entire information processing device such as Windows (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), various device drivers for operating peripheral devices in hardware, various application software, and various data and files. In addition, the secondary storage device 13 stores programs for implementing various processes and various data required for implementing various processes. A plurality of secondary storage devices 13 may be provided, and the above-mentioned programs and data may be divided and stored in each secondary storage device 13.

[0019] The external interface 14 is an interface for connecting to an external device. Examples of the external device include an external monitor, a USB memory, an external HDD, an external camera, etc. Although only one external interface is illustrated in the example shown in FIG. 2, multiple external interfaces may be provided.

[0020] The communication interface 15 functions as an interface for connecting to a network to communicate with other devices and transmitting and receiving information. For example, the communication interface 15 communicates with other devices by wire or wirelessly. Examples of wireless communication include communication through lines such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, mobile communication systems (3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, LTE, etc.), and wireless LAN. An example of wired communication includes communication through lines such as a wired LAN (Local Area Network).

[0021] The power supply circuit 16 converts the voltage of the DC power supplied from the battery 6 or the AC adapter 7 into a voltage required for the operation of each device constituting the information processing device 1, and supplies the power having the converted voltage to the device as a supply destination. When power is being supplied from the AC adapter 7, the power supply circuit 16 supplies the remaining power that has not been supplied to each device to the battery 6, thereby charging the battery 6. When power is not being supplied from the AC adapter 7 or when the power supplied from the AC adapter 7 is insufficient, the power supply circuit 16 supplies the power of the battery 6 to each device as operating power.

[0022] The battery 6 is, for example, a secondary battery. An example of the battery 6 is a lithium ion battery.

[0023] 3 is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of functions provided in the information processing device 1. As shown in FIG. The power control system 20 includes, for example, a mode setting unit 21, a battery information acquisition unit 22, a storage unit 23, a first calculation unit 24, a second calculation unit 25, and a notification unit 26.

[0024] A series of processes for realizing various functions of the power control system 20 is stored in the secondary storage device 13 or the like in the form of a program, for example, and the CPU (processor) 11 reads this program (for example, a power control application) into the main storage device 12 and executes information processing and arithmetic processing to realize various functions. Note that the program may be pre-installed in the secondary storage device 13, provided in a state stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, or distributed via wired or wireless communication means. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media include magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and semiconductor memories.

[0025] The mode setting unit 21 has a plurality of modes related to power management, and sets one of the plurality of modes as an execution mode. In the present embodiment, as an example, the mode setting unit 21 has a normal mode MD1 and a power saving mode MD2, but is not limited to this. For example, the mode setting unit 21 may have a plurality of power saving modes MD2.

[0026] The normal mode MD1 is a mode that consumes more power than the power saving mode MD2, and operates without forcibly restricting the operation of certain devices and components that mainly consume power. Examples of certain devices include a display and a CPU. Examples of certain components include an OS and applications.

[0027] The power saving mode MD2 is a mode that forcibly limits power consumption, for example, by lowering the brightness of the display compared to the normal mode and restricting the operation of the CPU, OS, and applications. In the power saving mode MD2, the brightness of the display may be set to change in stages according to the remaining battery power. Note that, since there are many known modes for the power saving mode MD2 that reduces power consumption, these modes may be appropriately adopted.

[0028] The battery information acquisition unit 22 acquires battery information from a battery monitoring unit (not shown) that monitors the battery 6. The battery monitoring unit is, for example, a function realized by the OS. The battery information is, for example, information on the battery required to calculate the available driving time of the battery, and examples thereof include the battery capacity (SOC) and the battery voltage.

[0029] The storage unit 23 stores various parameters that are mainly used in the first calculation unit 24 and the second calculation unit 25. The various parameters include an average power consumption PW1 corresponding to the normal mode MD1, an average power consumption PW2 corresponding to the power saving mode MD2, and a conversion parameter K. The average power consumptions PW1 and PW2 are parameters for calculating the available drive time from battery information (eg, battery capacity), and are mainly used by the first calculation unit 24. Moreover, the conversion parameter K is a parameter for converting the available drive time between a plurality of modes, and is mainly used by the second calculation unit 25. The details of these various parameters will be described later.

[0030] The first calculation unit 24 uses the battery information acquired by the battery information acquisition unit 22 to calculate the available driving time of the currently set mode (hereinafter referred to as the "execution mode") among the multiple modes. Here, the available driving time is a predicted value of the remaining time that can be driven with the current battery capacity. Also, the battery information is, for example, the current battery capacity (charging rate). For example, the first calculation unit 24 obtains the average power consumption corresponding to the execution mode from the storage unit 23, and calculates the available drive time in the execution mode by dividing the battery capacity by the average power consumption.

[0031] The first calculation unit 24 calculates the available drive time in the execution mode when a predetermined event occurs, such as when the battery capacity falls below a predetermined threshold or when an inquiry about power management is received from a user. The method of calculating the available drive time by the first calculation unit 24 is not limited to the above example. For example, any known technique may be appropriately adopted.

[0032] The second calculation unit 25 calculates the available drive time of another mode other than the execution mode from the available drive time of the execution mode, using the conversion parameter K stored in the storage unit 23. For example, when the execution mode is the normal mode MD1, the second calculation unit 25 calculates the available drive time of another mode, that is, the power saving mode MD2, by multiplying the available drive time of the normal mode MD1 by the conversion parameter K. Also, when the execution mode is the power saving mode MD2, the second calculation unit 25 calculates the available drive time of another mode, that is, the normal mode MD1, by multiplying the available drive time of the power saving mode MD2 by the conversion parameter 1 / K.

[0033] The notification unit 26 notifies the user of the available drive time in the execution mode and the available drive time in the other modes. For example, the notification unit 26 notifies the user by displaying the available drive time in the execution mode and the available drive time in the other modes on the display 5 in a comparable manner. The notification unit 26 may also inquire of the user as to whether or not a setting change to another mode is necessary, and may also display an input unit for switching the mode on the display 5. The notification method is not limited to display, and may be audio notification.

[0034] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing an example of a notification screen by the notification unit 26. FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen displayed when, for example, the remaining battery level falls below a predetermined threshold, and FIG. 5 shows an example of a screen displayed when an inquiry about power management is received from a user. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the available driving time (6 hours) of the normal mode MD1, which is the current execution mode, and the available driving time (7 hours and 15 minutes) of the power saving mode MD2, which is another mode, are displayed side by side. Furthermore, the notification screen shows the available driving time extended when the execution mode is changed to the power saving mode MD2 by drawing. In this way, by showing the drawing, the effect of changing the mode can be visually conveyed to the user in an easy-to-understand manner. In addition, the notification screen shows an input button BT1 for changing the setting to another mode together with a message asking the user whether or not to change the setting to another mode. By displaying such a notification screen on the display 5, the available driving time before and after the mode is switched can be presented to the user in a comparative manner, and the mode can be quickly changed by a simple input operation.

[0035] Next, a method for obtaining the various parameters used by the power control system 20, that is, the average power consumptions PW1 and PW2 and the conversion parameter K, will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the parameter acquisition method. The parameter acquisition method is executed, for example, before shipment of the information processing device 1. For example, before shipment of the information processing device 1, a program (parameter acquisition application) for realizing the parameter acquisition method is installed in the information processing device 1, and the CPU 11 reads this program into the main storage device 12 and executes information processing and arithmetic processing, thereby realizing the method.

[0036] First, one of a number of power management modes that has not been set (e.g., normal mode MD1) is set as the execution mode (SA1), and then a benchmark program consisting of pseudo tasks for measurement is executed (SA2), and average power consumption (W) is calculated from the change in battery capacity and battery drive time (SA3). Here, as the benchmark program, it is preferable to use a program that automatically executes operations that are generally frequently used in mobile information processing devices. One example is a program that executes a web search. Also, in step SA3, it is not necessary to change the battery capacity from 100% to 0%, and it is sufficient to measure the time it takes for the battery capacity to reach a predetermined start value (e.g., 80%) to an end value (e.g., 50%).

[0037] Next, the fully charged capacity (Wh) of the battery is divided by the average power consumption (W) obtained in step SA3 to calculate the available driving time (h) when the execution mode (e.g., normal mode MD1) is set (SA4). Next, the calculated available driving time, the execution mode (e.g., normal mode MD1), and the average power consumption are stored in association with each other (SA5). Next, it is determined whether or not all modes related to power management have been executed (SA6). As a result, if all modes have not been executed (SA6: NO), the process returns to step SA1, and a mode that has not been executed (e.g., power saving mode) is set as the execution mode, and the subsequent processes are repeated.

[0038] In addition, when the power saving mode is a mode that dynamically changes the setting value, for example, a mode that gradually reduces the brightness of the display according to the battery capacity (for example, 40%, 30%, etc.), it is necessary to measure the power consumption when these adjustments are performed. In this case, for example, when the power consumption is measured only in a predetermined battery capacity range (for example, battery capacity 80% to 50%) in order to shorten the measurement time of the power consumption, the measurement range (for example, when the battery capacity is 80% to 50%, 80%-50%=30%) is converted to 100%, and a benchmark program is executed that gradually changes the brightness of the display at the battery capacity equivalent to 40% and 30%. For example, in the case of a power saving mode that changes the brightness at the battery capacity of 40% and 30%, respectively, when the measurement range of the battery capacity is 80% to 50%, a benchmark program is executed that changes the brightness at 62% (=30%×0.4+50%) and 59% (=30%×0.3+50%), respectively.

[0039] Then, when all modes are set as execution modes (SA6: YES), and the average power consumption and available drive time (h) for all modes are acquired, a conversion parameter K between the modes is calculated by calculating the ratio of available drive time (h) between the modes (SA7). For example, in this embodiment, the conversion parameter K (=TE / TS) is calculated by dividing the drive time TE of the power saving mode MD2 by the drive time TS of the normal mode MD1. Next, the calculated conversion parameter K and the mode identification information, the average power consumption PW1 of the normal mode MD1, and the average power consumption PW2 of the power saving mode MD2 are stored in the memory unit 23 (SA8), and the process ends.

[0040] The parameter acquisition application may be uninstalled after the process is completed, or may be shipped in an installed state.

[0041] The above-mentioned parameter acquisition application may acquire the average power consumption and the conversion parameters for each information processing device 1, or may use the results obtained for the same model of information processing device, in other words, for information processing devices with the same hardware configuration such as the CPU and memory, the same OS, etc., as default values. The former method can obtain the average power consumption PW1, PW2, and the conversion parameter K with higher accuracy than the latter method, and the latter method can save labor and time before shipment. In addition, the former method may be used to perform some or all of the measurements after the latter method is performed. This makes it possible to improve accuracy. In this case, the measurement may be performed by replacing the user's operations with the programs that automatically execute frequently used operations in the benchmark program.

[0042] Furthermore, some of the processes in the parameter acquisition application may be performed by a human being, for example, the measurement of power consumption, the calculation of conversion parameters, and the like.

[0043] Next, a power control method executed by the power control system 20 included in the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the power control method. The power control method described below is started, for example, when a predetermined event occurs. Examples of the predetermined event include a case where the battery capacity of the battery 6 falls below a predetermined value, or a case where a setting screen for a power control application is started by a user. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, a case where the normal mode MD1 is set as the execution mode will be described as an example.

[0044] First, the information processing device 1 acquires the remaining battery power of the battery 6 (SB1), and calculates the remaining drive time by dividing the remaining battery power by the average power consumption PW1 in the normal mode MD1, which is the execution mode (SB2). Next, the information processing device 1 calculates the remaining drive time in the power saving mode MD2 by multiplying the remaining drive time in the execution mode by a conversion parameter K (SB3). Next, the available driving time in the normal mode MD1, which is the execution mode, and the available driving time in the power saving mode MD2 are displayed on the display 5 (SB4). As a result, for example, a notification screen such as that shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 is displayed on the display 5. By checking this notification screen, the user can compare the available driving time when the currently set normal mode MD1 is maintained as it is with the available driving time when the mode is switched to the power saving mode MD2. This makes it possible to select a desired mode, taking into consideration the degradation of performance due to mode switching and the available driving time with the remaining battery power.

[0045] Next, it is determined whether or not the user has input a mode change (SB5). If no mode change has been input (SB5: NO), the process ends. On the other hand, if a mode change has been input (SB5: YES), the execution mode is changed from normal mode to power saving mode (SB6), and the process ends.

[0046] As described above, the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment includes a mode setting unit 21 having a plurality of modes related to power consumption and setting one of the modes as an execution mode, a battery information acquisition unit 22 acquiring battery information, a first calculation unit 24 using the battery information to calculate the available drive time of the execution mode currently set among the plurality of modes, a second calculation unit 25 calculating the available drive time of modes other than the execution mode from the available drive time of the execution mode using a conversion parameter for converting the available drive time between the plurality of modes, and a notification unit 26 notifying the user of the available drive time of the execution mode and the available drive time of the other modes.

[0047] According to this embodiment, the user is notified of the available driving time for the execution mode, which is the currently set mode, and the available driving time for modes other than the execution mode, thereby enabling the user to intuitively understand the difference in available driving time before and after switching modes. This allows the user to select a desired mode taking into consideration performance and available drive time, thereby improving the user experience regarding power management.

[0048] Furthermore, the notification unit 26 inquires of the user as to whether or not it is necessary to change the setting to another mode, and also displays an input section for switching the mode on the display, so that the user can easily change the mode.

[0049] In addition, the second calculation unit 25 uses a conversion parameter for converting the available drive time between a plurality of modes to calculate the available drive time of other modes other than the execution mode from the available drive time of the execution mode, so that it is possible to calculate the available drive time of other modes by simple processing. Also, it is possible to calculate the available drive time of a mode that has never been set.

[0050] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the gist of the present invention, and the forms with such modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0051] Furthermore, the processing procedures described in the above embodiment are also just examples, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be rearranged, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0052] [Variation 1] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the average power consumption PW1 acquired in the parameter acquisition method (see FIG. 6) executed before the shipment of the information processing device 1 is used to calculate the available drive time in the execution mode, but this is not limited to this. For example, since the average power consumption PW1 varies depending on the operation frequency even when the user's usage situation is the same, the average power consumption PW1 measured most recently when the execution mode is used may be used. This makes it possible to improve the calculation accuracy of the available drive time in the execution mode. In this case, the average power consumption PW1 in the execution mode can be acquired, for example, from a power monitoring function for management that the battery device itself has. Note that the conversion parameter K is less affected by the operation frequency, so the one acquired in the parameter acquisition method (see FIG. 6) executed before the shipment of the information processing device 1 may be used.

[0053] [Modification 2] In the above-described embodiment, one benchmark program is executed and the power consumption at this time is measured in the parameter acquisition method shown in Fig. 6, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the power consumption differs depending on the type of application used. For example, applications that use communication, such as video viewing and route guidance, consume relatively large power consumption, while applications such as document and table creation consume relatively small power consumption. Therefore, for example, in the parameter acquisition method shown in Fig. 6, benchmark programs corresponding to various usage situations may be prepared, and the power consumption when these multiple benchmark programs are executed may be measured. The benchmark program may be, for example, one that executes a single application, or may be a program that combines multiple applications, such as web search, document creation, and video viewing.

[0054] This makes it possible to obtain the power consumption for each mode and for each usage situation. Then, parameter information that associates the mode, usage situation, and various parameters (average power consumption PW1, PW2, and conversion parameter K) may be created, and this parameter information may be stored in the storage unit 23. With this configuration, for example, the first calculation unit 24 and the second calculation unit 25 can obtain parameters according to the user's usage situation from the parameter information, and calculate the available drive time using the obtained parameters. This makes it possible to improve the prediction accuracy of the available drive time.

[0055] [Modification 3] In the above-described embodiment, the parameter information stored in the storage unit 23 may be updated according to the results. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the power control system 20a may include a data management unit 27, a database 28, and a parameter update unit 29.

[0056] The data management unit 27 stores the performance data correlating the remaining battery capacity with the battery drive time for each mode in the database 28. As a result, the database 28 accumulates performance data correlating the remaining battery capacity with the battery drive time for each of the normal mode MD1 and the power saving mode MD2.

[0057] The parameter update unit 29 calculates the average power consumption PW1, PW2 in each mode from the performance data for a predetermined past period stored in the database 28 and the relational equation between the battery drive time, battery capacity, and power consumption shown in the following equation (1).

[0058] Power consumption = Battery capacity / Battery life (1)

[0059] In addition, a conversion parameter is calculated from the average power consumption PW1, PW2 of each mode by the following formula (2).

[0060] K=PW1 / PW2 (2)

[0061] Then, the calculated average power consumptions PW1, PW2 and the conversion parameter K are stored in the storage unit 23, thereby updating the data.

[0062] Moreover, by periodically updating data by the parameter update unit 29, it becomes possible to obtain various parameters according to the usage conditions of the user. Then, by using these various parameters to calculate the available drive time in each mode, it becomes possible to further improve the calculation accuracy of the available drive time.

[0063] In the above-described modified example 3, the information processing device 1 has the database 28, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the database 28 may be installed on a network (e.g., on a cloud) accessible to the information processing device 1. In this case, the information processing device 1 may be connected to the database 28 via the communication interface 15, and the data management unit 27 may store the performance data in the database 28.

[0064] In this case, the database 28 may store performance data received from a plurality of information processing devices 1. At this time, the performance data may be supplemented with information such as the percentage of frequency of use of application types used by the user. The percentage of frequency of use of application types may be, for example, 30% for web-related applications, 20% for document creation applications, and 50% for video materials. In this way, by supplementing the percentage of frequency of use of application types, data with similar usage statuses can be grouped, and data analysis can be performed for each group to calculate various parameters.

[0065] This makes it possible to obtain more performance data, and to process the large amount of report data using known machine learning, optimization processing, statistical processing, etc. As a result, it becomes possible to set various parameters to more appropriate values. In this case, the parameter update unit 29 is also installed on the network, and the information processing device 1 is configured to obtain various parameters updated by the parameter update unit 29 via the network. Furthermore, when the database 28 is on a cloud, the model identification information (for example, device-specific information such as model number) may be stored in association with various parameters. This allows the parameters of different models to be managed in an integrated manner. Furthermore, if the values ​​of different models do not pose a practical problem, multiple models may be associated together. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1: Information processing equipment 2: First unit 3: Second housing 4: Input device 5: Display 6: Battery 7: AC adapter 8: Connecting member 11: CPU 12: Main memory 13:Secondary storage device 14: External interface 15: Communication interface 16:Power circuit 18: Bus 20: Power control system 20a: Power control system 21: Mode setting section 22: Battery information acquisition unit 23: Storage section 24: 1st calculation section 25: 2nd calculation section 26:Notification Department 27: Data Management Department 28: Database 29: Parameter update section

Claims

1. a mode setting means for setting one of a plurality of modes relating to power consumption as an execution mode; A battery information acquisition means for acquiring battery information; a first calculation means for calculating a driveable time in the execution mode by using the battery information; a second calculation means for calculating a driveable time of a mode other than the execution mode from the driveable time of the execution mode by using a conversion parameter for converting a driveable time between a plurality of modes; a notification means for notifying a user of the available driving time in the execution mode and the available driving time in other modes; An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification means inquires of the user as to whether or not a setting change to another mode is required, and causes an input section for switching the mode to be displayed on a display.

3. the second calculation means calculates a driveable time in another mode when a predetermined event occurs, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the event includes a case where a remaining battery charge falls below a predetermined threshold.

4. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second calculation means obtains a conversion parameter corresponding to a user's usage status from parameter information in which a plurality of conversion parameters corresponding to each of a plurality of usage statuses are registered, and calculates a driving time of another mode using the obtained conversion parameter.

5. a data management means for storing performance data in a database in which the remaining battery capacity and the battery operating time are associated with each mode; a parameter updating means for updating the conversion parameters using past performance data stored in a database; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

6. a mode setting step of setting one of a plurality of modes relating to power consumption as an execution mode; a battery information acquisition step of acquiring battery information; a first calculation step of calculating a driveable time in the execution mode using the battery information; a second calculation step of calculating a drivable time of a mode other than the execution mode from the drivable time of the execution mode by using a conversion parameter for converting a drivable time between a plurality of modes; a notification step of notifying a user of the available time for driving in the execution mode and the available time for driving in other modes; The computer performs the power control method.

7. A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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