Information terminal and program

Abstract

To enable a user to easily recognize an effect of power consumption reduction by stopping a function of an electronic apparatus SOLUTION: The information terminal acquires a setting of power consumption reduction input from a user, which is a setting of a communicable electronic device, predicts an amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired setting, draws an image indicating the predicted amount of power consumption reduction and displays the image on a display unit, and transmits the acquired setting of power consumption reduction to the electronic device. The setting of power consumption reduction includes a setting of turning off a communication function of the electronic apparatus, the communication function being a function of communication between the electronic apparatus and the information terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information terminal and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A known method for reducing power consumption and extending battery life, for example, is to provide a power-saving mode that disables some functions. Some devices, such as smartphones, also allow users to set the power-saving mode from an external device.

[0003] Patent document 1 describes that the connected electrical equipment measures the power consumption, and based on the power consumption over time, simulates and displays the change in total power consumption over time when the operating period of the electrical equipment is changed, or the electricity bill for that day. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6484406 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For example, when setting multiple functions to reduce power consumption, it was difficult to know in advance how much power consumption would be reduced, which could result in functions being turned off more than necessary, resulting in a loss of convenience for the user.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a technique that allows a user to easily recognize the effect of reducing power consumption by stopping the functions of an electronic device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the technology according to the present invention employs the following configuration.

[0008] (1) An information terminal including: a setting acquisition means for acquiring power consumption reduction settings input by a user for a communicable electronic device; a prediction means for predicting an amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired settings; a drawing means for drawing an image showing the predicted amount of power consumption reduction and displaying the image on a display means; and a setting transmission means for transmitting the acquired power consumption reduction settings to the electronic device.

[0009] (2) In the information terminal according to (1), the setting acquisition means acquires, as the setting, the start time and end time of a low power consumption mode that reduces the power consumption of the electronic device.

[0010] (3) In (2), the prediction means acquires a coefficient according to time that indicates the efficiency of power consumption reduction, and predicts the amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired coefficient according to time and the acquired start time and end time.

[0011] (4) In the information terminal according to (1), the setting acquisition means acquires, as the setting, one or more functions among a plurality of functions that are to be stopped in a low power consumption mode that reduces the power consumption of the electronic device.

[0012] (5) A program for causing a computer to function as a setting acquisition means for acquiring power consumption reduction settings input by a user for a communicable electronic device, a prediction means for predicting the amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired settings, a drawing means for drawing an image showing the predicted amount of power consumption reduction and displaying the image on a display means, and a setting transmission means for transmitting the acquired power consumption reduction settings to the electronic device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to allow a user to easily recognize the effect of reducing power consumption by stopping the functions of an electronic device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a clock system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functions realized by the clock system. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a smartphone. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the setting screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the setting screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the setting screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the setting screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the setting screen. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by a wristwatch that has received a power consumption reduction setting. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of power saving control processing of a wristwatch. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen for power saving according to days of the week. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0016] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a clock system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The clock system includes a smartphone 1 and a wristwatch 2. The smartphone 1 includes a processor 11, storage 12, a display panel 14, an input device 15, a mobile communication unit 131, a wireless LAN communication unit 132, and a short-range communication unit 133. The smartphone 1 is a type of information terminal, and may be other types of terminals such as a tablet or a personal computer.

[0017] The processor 11 operates according to execution instructions of a program stored in the storage 12. The processor 11 also controls the display panel 14, the input device 15, the mobile communication unit 131, the wireless LAN communication unit 132, and the short-range communication unit 133. The execution instructions of the program may be provided via the Internet or the like, or may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a flash memory.

[0018] The storage 12 is composed of memory elements such as DRAM and flash memory. The storage 12 stores execution instructions for the above programs. The storage 12 also stores information input from the processor 11, the input device 15, etc., and calculation results. The storage 12 may include a storage device such as a hard disk.

[0019] The display panel 14 is a type of display device that displays images, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL display panel. The display panel 14 is connected to a display controller or a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), not shown, and displays images based on instructions from the processor 11.

[0020] The input device 15 includes, for example, at least some of a touch panel, a microphone, and a camera. The input device 15 may include an input / output interface such as a connector and an integrated circuit that implements a USB interface. External input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse may be connected to the smartphone 1 via the input / output interface. The smartphone 1 may also include a speaker (not shown).

[0021] The mobile communication unit 131, the wireless LAN communication unit 132, and the short-range communication unit 133 each include a transmission / reception circuit and an antenna that realize wireless communication with an external device. The mobile communication unit 131 communicates via a mobile communication network. The wireless LAN communication unit 132 communicates with an external device in accordance with a wireless LAN standard. The short-range communication unit 133 communicates with an external device located near the smartphone 1 in accordance with a communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (Near Field Communication). Under the control of the processor 11, the mobile communication unit 131, the wireless LAN communication unit 132, and the short-range communication unit 133 each input information received from another device to the processor 11 or the storage 12, and transmit information to the other device.

[0022] Wristwatch 2 includes a microcomputer 21, a short-range communication unit 233, a display unit 24, a hand movement motor 241, an operating member 25, a biosensor 26, and a battery 29. Wristwatch 2 is a so-called smart watch, which is a type of electronic device.

[0023] The microcomputer 21 includes a processor, memory, and real-time clock 211, executes programs stored in the memory, inputs information from the operation members 25, etc., and controls the hand movement motor 241, short-range communication unit 233, etc. The real-time clock 211 keeps internal time. The display unit 24 has hands that are driven by the hand movement motor 241 via a train wheel. The display unit 24 may be a display panel such as an LCD. The operation members 25 include buttons. The biosensor 26 includes at least one of an acceleration sensor and a pulse sensor, and measures values ​​used to determine, for example, whether the wristwatch 2 is being worn. The battery 29 can be a primary battery, a secondary battery that stores power generated when light hits a solar cell, or power supplied from an external source, and supplies power to each component including the microcomputer 21.

[0024] In this embodiment, the operating modes of the wristwatch 2 include at least a normal mode and a power saving mode. The normal mode is a mode in which the functions that the user wants to use are active when the wristwatch 2 is worn. The power saving mode is a mode in which some of the functions of the wristwatch 2 that are active in the normal mode are stopped in order to reduce power consumption. The following mainly describes how to set the power saving mode of the wristwatch 2 from the smartphone 1.

[0025] 2 is a block diagram showing functions realized by the clock system. Functionally, the clock system includes an operation reception unit 51, a prediction unit 52, a setting screen control unit 53, a clock setting unit 54, a log recording unit 55, a power saving control unit 58, and a notification unit 59. The operation reception unit 51, the prediction unit 52, the setting screen control unit 53, the clock setting unit 54, and the log recording unit 55 are each realized by the processor 11 executing a program corresponding to the function stored in the storage 12 of the smartphone 1, and the processor 11 controlling any of the display panel 14, the input device 15, and the near-field communication unit 133 as necessary.

[0026] The setting screen control unit 53 displays a power saving mode setting screen on the display device of the smartphone 1. When a predetermined operation is performed while another setting screen is displayed, the setting screen control unit 53 may transition the displayed screen to the power saving mode setting screen.

[0027] Operation reception unit 51 corresponds to a setting acquisition means and acquires input operations from the user. The input operations from the user are power consumption reduction settings entered by the user, and include settings for wristwatch 2 that can communicate with smartphone 1. The power consumption reduction settings include at least one of the start and end times of power saving mode and one or more functions that are to be stopped in power saving mode.

[0028] The prediction unit 52 corresponds to a prediction means, and predicts the amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired power consumption reduction settings. The prediction unit 52 may acquire a coefficient that is a time-dependent coefficient indicating the efficiency of power consumption reduction, and predict the amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired time-dependent coefficient and the acquired start time and end time.

[0029] The setting screen control unit 53 corresponds to a drawing means, and draws an image indicating the predicted amount of reduction in power consumption on the power saving mode setting screen, and causes the image to be displayed on the display means.

[0030] The watch setting unit 54 corresponds to a setting transmission means, and transmits the acquired power consumption reduction setting to the wristwatch 2.

[0031] The log recording unit 55 records a log of the operating status of the wristwatch 2. The log recording unit 55 stores in the storage 12 the transmission time of each notification sent from the smartphone 1 to the wristwatch 2 as the operating status. The log recording unit 55 may also record in the storage 12 the accumulated display period of an image for each time period (for example, one hour) on the wristwatch 2, or the detection status of the user's viewing of the watch by the biometric sensor 26, which has a high correlation with the display period.

[0032] The power saving control unit 58 and the notification unit 59 are each realized by a processor in the microcomputer 21 of the wristwatch 2 executing a program corresponding to the function stored in the memory in the microcomputer 21 and controlling each unit.

[0033] When power saving control unit 58 receives a power consumption reduction setting, it registers the setting in the memory of microcomputer 21. Based on the registered power saving setting, power saving control unit 58 also controls wristwatch 2 to switch to power saving mode or return to normal mode. In power saving mode, some of the multiple functions of wristwatch 2 (one or more target functions included in the registered power saving setting) are stopped.

[0034] The notification unit 59 receives notification information transmitted from the system of the smartphone 1, and causes the display unit 24 or the like to display information based on the notification information.

[0035] Next, the processing of the smartphone 1 will be described. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the smartphone 1. Fig. 3 mainly shows the processing when setting the power saving mode of the wristwatch 2 on the smartphone 1. The processing shown in Fig. 3 starts when the user performs some operation to transition to the power saving mode setting screen.

[0036] First, the setting screen control unit 53 displays a power saving mode setting screen on the display device (step S111). Fig. 4 shows an example of the setting screen. Fig. 4 shows an example of the display when the power saving setting is enabled for the wristwatch 2.

[0037] The settings screen shown in FIG. 4 depicts a power saving switch 71, a start time 72 and end time 73 for the power saving mode, and a power saving intensity 75. The power saving switch 71 is, for example, a toggle switch that sets whether or not the wristwatch 2 is permitted to enter the power saving mode. When the power saving switch 71 is off, the setting is sent to the wristwatch 2, and the wristwatch 2 does not enter the power saving mode. The start time 72 is the time when the wristwatch 2 switches to the power saving mode, and the end time 73 is the time when the wristwatch 2 returns from the power saving mode to the normal mode. The power saving intensity 75 is an example of an image showing the predicted amount of reduction in power consumption. The power saving intensity 75 graphically displays the predicted amount of reduction in power consumption using a character string including the number of stars and the length of the bar. In FIG. 4, the power saving intensity 75 is represented by the length of the filled bar and arrow, the number of stars, and a display of either "strong," "medium," or "weak."

[0038] Next, the operation accepting unit 51 accepts a user operation (step S112). The operation accepting unit 51 may acquire, as the user input, information indicating an operation on the touch panel while the setting screen is displayed (for example, touched coordinates or the type of UI element present in the touched area).

[0039] The operation reception unit 51 determines whether the received operation indicates the end of the power saving setting. (Step S113). The operation indicating the end of the setting corresponds to, for example, pressing "Back" in Fig. 4. When the operation indicating the end of the setting is performed (Y in step S113), the processing shown in Fig. 3 ends.

[0040] On the other hand, if the received operation is not an operation indicating the end of the power saving setting (N in step S113), the operation receiving unit 51 determines whether the received operation is an operation to turn on the power saving switch 71 or an operation to change the power saving operation setting (step S114). The power saving operation setting may be, for example, at least a part of the settings of the start time 72, the end time 73, and the functions to be subjected to power saving, which will be described later.

[0041] If the received operation is neither an operation to turn on the power save selector switch 71 nor an operation to change the power save operation settings (N in step S114), the operation reception unit 51 determines that an operation to turn off the power save selector switch 71 has been performed, and the clock setting unit 54 transmits to the wristwatch 2 a setting indicating that the power save mode of the wristwatch 2 will not be used (step S115). Specifically, the clock setting unit 54 causes the short-range communication unit 133 to transmit information including a setting to not use the power save mode to the wristwatch 2. Note that in the example of FIG. 3 , because the power save operation settings cannot be changed when the power save selector switch 71 is off, if N is returned in step S114 it is determined that an operation to turn off the power save selector switch 71 has been performed; however, the operation reception unit 51 may instead determine whether or not an operation to turn off the power save selector switch 71 has been performed, and if it is determined that an operation to turn off the power save selector switch 71 has been performed, step S115 may be executed.

[0042] On the other hand, if the received operation is an operation to turn on the power saving switch 71 or an operation to change the power saving operation settings (Y in step S114), the prediction unit 52 predicts the amount of power consumption reduction under the current power saving operation settings (step S116).

[0043] Prediction unit 52 may calculate the predicted reduction in power consumption as the percentage of the time that wristwatch 2 operates in power saving mode per day relative to the maximum period of power saving mode (e.g., 8 hours). In this case, if the period from power saving mode start time 72 to end time 73 is 6 hours, for example, a reduction of 75% is calculated.

[0044] The prediction unit 52 may also calculate the predicted reduction in power consumption by acquiring a coefficient for each time period (e.g., hour) that indicates the magnitude of the power consumption reduction effect, calculating the product of the length of time the device operates in power saving mode for each time period and the coefficient, and then summing the products calculated for each time period. Here, the coefficient may be a value determined in advance for each time period based on statistical data obtained during development. The prediction unit 52 may also calculate the coefficient for each time period based on a log of the operating status stored in the storage 12 by the log recording unit 55.

[0045] The prediction unit 52 may also predict the amount of power consumption reduction based on the functions targeted for power saving. For example, an effect constant may be set in advance for each function targeted for power saving, and the prediction unit 52 may calculate the amount of power consumption reduction corresponding to the functions that will be turned off in power saving mode by multiplying the sum of the effect constants for each function that will be turned off in power saving mode by the amount of power consumption reduction calculated using the method described above. Alternatively, a coefficient may be set for each function for each time period, and for each function that will be turned off, the amount of power consumption reduction may be calculated by calculating the product of the length of time that the function operates in power saving mode and the coefficient in each time period, and then summing the products calculated for each time period. The prediction unit 52 may calculate the sum of the amount of power consumption reduction for each function that will be turned off as the overall amount of power consumption reduction due to power saving mode.

[0046] The setting screen control unit 53 then plots the predicted amount of power consumption reduction (for example, power saving intensity 75) on the setting screen and causes the display device to display the setting screen (step S117). Meanwhile, the clock setting unit 54 transmits the power consumption reduction settings to the wristwatch 2 (step S118). The power consumption reduction settings include settings for using a power saving mode and power saving operation settings. The clock setting unit 54 causes, for example, the short-range communication unit 133 to transmit the power saving settings to the wristwatch 2.

[0047] The image of the predicted amount of power consumption reduction displayed by the setting screen control unit 53 may be different from that shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the setting screen. In the example of Fig. 5, the setting screen control unit 53 determines the position of a pointer according to the predicted amount of power consumption reduction as the power saving level 76, and graphically displays the pointer by drawing an image including the pointer.

[0048] The operation and display for setting the functions to be targeted for power saving will be described below. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of a setting screen. In this example, a target setting area 81 included in the setting screen allows the user to select the functions of the wristwatch 2 that will be disabled in power saving mode. In this example, the operation receiving unit 51 acquires that the user has touched the display of a function in the target setting area 81, and the operation receiving unit 51 switches the touched function between on and off in power saving mode. The example in FIG. 6 shows that in power saving mode, the notification function for incoming calls and received messages and the BLE communication function are turned off, but the time display and alarm are not turned off.

[0049] Prediction unit 52 may calculate a predicted value for battery life as the amount of power consumption reduction. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing another example of a setting screen. In this example, prediction unit 52 calculates the battery life when wristwatch 2 does not enter power saving mode and the battery life when wristwatch 2 does enter power saving mode, and setting screen control unit 53 draws these in battery life area 77 on the setting screen.

[0050] The amount of power consumption reduction may be displayed for each day of the week. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another example of a setting screen. In this example, the operation reception unit 51 acquires the start time 72 and end time 73 of the power saving mode for each day of the week, and the prediction unit 52 calculates the amount of power consumption reduction for each day of the week. The setting screen control unit 53 may then display an image of a power saving intensity 78 including the amount of power reduction for each day of the week on the setting screen. Furthermore, the sum of the amount of power reduction for each day of the week may also be displayed in the image of the power saving intensity 78 on the setting screen. Power saving settings may be set by dividing the days of the week into several groups. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen for power saving according to the day of the week. In the example of FIG. 12, the operation reception unit 51 acquires settings in which the end times of the power saving mode differ between Monday to Friday (Plan 1) and Saturday and Sunday (Plan 2). Note that the start of the power saving mode is not limited to once a day, and multiple periods of the power saving mode may be set in one day, such as during late night hours and during the lunch break.

[0051] The setting screen control unit 53 may also graphically display the time period during which the device will operate in power saving mode. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the setting screen. In the example of Fig. 9, the setting screen control unit 53 graphically draws an image indicating the period of the power saving mode based on the start time 72 and end time 73 in a power saving period area 79 of the setting screen.

[0052] The operation of the wristwatch 2 in relation to the power saving settings will also be described. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the wristwatch 2 that has received the power consumption reduction settings. The processing shown in Figure 10 is executed when the power consumption reduction settings are sent from the smartphone 1 and received by the wristwatch 2.

[0053] First, the power saving control unit 58 acquires the power consumption reduction setting transmitted from the smartphone 1 (step S211). Then, the power saving control unit 58 updates the power saving mode setting, including the start time 72 and end time 73, stored in the memory in the microcomputer 21, and starts the power saving control process (step S212). Note that, although not shown, if the power saving control unit 58 receives a setting indicating that the power saving mode will not be used, it ends the power saving control process.

[0054] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the power saving control processing of the wristwatch 2. This processing starts in step S212 of FIG. 10. First, the power saving control unit 58 waits until the start time 72 registered in memory (step S221). When the start time 72 arrives, the power saving control unit 58 stops the functions to be stopped that are included in the power saving mode settings (step S222). The power saving control unit 58 then waits until the end time 73 registered in memory (step S223), and when the end time 73 arrives, the power saving control unit 58 resumes the functions to be stopped (step S224). Note that the processing of FIG. 11 may be executed from step S221 immediately after the processing of step S224.

[0055] The operation of smartphone 1 described above allows the wearer of wristwatch 2 to easily check the extent of power consumption reduction effect when setting the power saving mode. This allows the wearer to more appropriately adjust the power saving setting, making it possible to avoid problems caused by, for example, an inappropriate setting of the power saving mode.

[0056] The configuration diagrams and the like shown in the respective embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these, and can be changed as desired as long as the gist of the present invention is met. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 smartphone, 2 wristwatch, 11 processor, 12 storage, 131 mobile communication unit, 132 wireless LAN communication unit, 133 short-range communication unit, 14 display panel, 15 input device, 21 microcomputer, 211 real-time clock, 233 short-range communication unit, 24 display unit, 241 hand movement motor, 25 operation member, 26 biosensor, 29 battery, 51 operation reception unit, 52 prediction unit, 53 setting screen control unit, 54 clock setting unit, 55 log recording unit, 58 power saving control unit, 59 notification unit, 71 power saving switch, 72 start time, 73 end time, 75, 76, 78 power saving intensity, 81 target setting area, 77 duration area, 79 power saving period area.

Claims

1. An information terminal capable of communicating with an electronic device, a setting acquisition means for acquiring a setting for reducing power consumption input by a user, the setting being input to the electronic device capable of communication; a prediction means for predicting a reduction amount of power consumption based on the acquired settings; a drawing means for drawing an image showing the predicted amount of reduction in power consumption and displaying the image on a display means; a setting transmission means for transmitting the acquired power consumption reduction setting to the electronic device; Including, the power consumption reduction setting is a communication function of the electronic device, and includes a setting to turn off a communication function between the electronic device and the information terminal; Information terminal.

2. 2. The information terminal according to claim 1, the setting acquisition means acquires, as the setting, a start time and an end time of a low power consumption mode that reduces power consumption of the electronic device; Information terminal.

3. 3. The information terminal according to claim 2, the prediction means acquires a coefficient according to time that indicates efficiency of power consumption reduction, and predicts the amount of power consumption reduction based on the acquired coefficient according to time and the acquired start time and end time; Information terminal.

4. 2. The information terminal according to claim 1, the setting acquisition means acquires, as the setting, one or more functions to be stopped in a low power consumption mode that reduces power consumption of the electronic device, among a plurality of functions; Information terminal.

5. a setting acquisition means for acquiring settings for reducing power consumption input by a user, the settings being for an electronic device that can communicate; a prediction means for predicting a reduction amount of power consumption based on the acquired settings; a drawing means for drawing an image showing the predicted amount of reduction in power consumption and displaying the image on a display means; and a setting transmission means for transmitting the acquired power consumption reduction setting to the electronic device; Make the computer function as the power consumption reduction setting includes a setting to turn off a communication function of the electronic device, the communication function being between the electronic device and the computer; program.

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