electronic machinery

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus in which user convenience is improved by presenting an operation effective in reducing power consumption.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus 10 includes: a battery 20 for supplying driving power to the electronic apparatus 10; a plurality of devices 30 to be driven by the driving power from the battery 20; a display unit 34 for displaying information regarding the battery 20 and the plurality of devices 30; and a control unit 40 for controlling the battery 20, the plurality of devices 30, and the display unit 34. The control unit 40 acquires power consumption of each of the plurality of devices 30, displays a list of the plurality of devices 30 arranged in the order of the power consumption on the display unit 34, and, when a device 30 contained in the list is selected, displays a proposal of an operation for reducing power consumption of the electronic apparatus 10 to the device 30 on the display unit 34.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electronic devices. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In electronic devices that are powered by a battery, efforts are being made to reduce power consumption and extend the battery's operating time.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic device that estimates the power consumption of each of a plurality of applications that may be executed simultaneously. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-257680 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The electronic device described in Patent Document 1 still has room for improvement in terms of convenience.

[0006] The present disclosure provides an electronic device with improved convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An electronic device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: An electronic device, a battery that supplies driving power to the electronic device; a plurality of devices driven by driving power from the battery; a display unit that displays information about the battery and the plurality of devices; a control unit that controls the battery, the plurality of devices, and the display unit; Equipped with The control unit acquiring power consumption of each of the plurality of devices; classifying the plurality of devices into a plurality of groups including a first group to which devices whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a first threshold belong, and a second group to which devices whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold but less than the first threshold belong; The plurality of devices are displayed in different colors for each group in the schematic diagram of the electronic device displayed on the display unit. do.

[0008] An electronic device according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes: An electronic device, a battery that supplies driving power to the electronic device; a plurality of devices driven by driving power from the battery; a display unit that displays information about the battery and the plurality of devices; a control unit that controls the battery, the plurality of devices, and the display unit; Equipped with The control unit acquiring a power consumption of the battery and a power consumption of each of the plurality of devices when the battery is not connected to a power source; When the power consumption of the battery is equal to or greater than a first threshold, or when the power consumption of at least one of the plurality of devices is equal to or greater than a second threshold, a notification is displayed on the display unit. death, When the power consumption of the battery is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the notification including a suggestion to connect the battery to a power source is displayed on the display unit. do. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, an electronic device with improved convenience can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an electronic device according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a list of multiple devices displayed on a display unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a list of multiple devices displayed on the display unit. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a list of multiple devices displayed on the display unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a list of multiple devices displayed on the display unit. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram showing an example application window for setting power consumption thresholds for multiple devices. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the electronic device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] Flowchart showing calculation process of power consumption ratio [Figure 10] Flowchart showing list display processing [Figure 11] Flowchart showing a process for displaying suggestions [Figure 12A] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a display unit of an electronic device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12B] A close-up of the notification in Figure 12A [Figure 13A] Schematic showing another example of a notification [Figure 13B] Schematic showing another example of a notification [Figure 14] Schematic diagram showing the application window for setting the first threshold [Figure 15] Schematic diagram showing the application window for setting the second threshold [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] Flowchart for explaining power consumption acquisition processing [Figure 18] Flowchart for explaining notification display processing DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] (Background to this disclosure) For example, in electronic devices that are powered by a battery, such as laptop computers or tablet computers, there is a demand for reducing power consumption and extending battery life, and therefore, studies have been conducted on estimating the power consumption of applications executed on the electronic devices.

[0012] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic device capable of executing a plurality of applications, which estimates the proportion of power consumption of each application relative to the overall power consumption of the electronic device.

[0013] The electronic device of Patent Document 1 cannot show the user what operations to perform to reduce power consumption, so the user cannot make use of the information presented, and there is room for improvement in terms of convenience.

[0014] Therefore, the inventor(s) have studied electronic devices that improve user convenience by presenting to the user operations that are highly effective in reducing power consumption, and have arrived at the following invention.

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] (Embodiment 1) [Overall configuration] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an electronic device 10 according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the electronic device 10 of Fig. 1.

[0017] 1 and 2, the electronic device 10 includes a battery 20, a plurality of devices 30, a display unit 34, and a control unit 40. The electronic device 10 is an information processing terminal that receives driving power from the battery 20, and includes a laptop PC, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like.

[0018] The battery 20 is mounted on the electronic device 10 and supplies driving power to the electronic device 10. The battery 20 is configured by a secondary battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged, such as a lithium ion battery. The battery 20 can be repeatedly charged by connecting it to an external power source 50 via, for example, an AC adapter.

[0019] The multiple devices 30 are devices built into the electronic device 10 or devices connected via a connection terminal such as a USB mounted on the electronic device 10. The devices 30 include, for example, an input device 31, an output device 32, and a storage device 33. The devices 30 may also include a network device (not shown) for performing wireless or wired communication.

[0020] The input device 31 is a device for providing data, information, instructions, etc. to the electronic device 10. Examples of the input device 31 include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and a microphone.

[0021] The output device 32 is a device for receiving data from a program executed by the control unit 40 and presenting the data in a format that can be recognized by a user. Examples of the output device 32 include a display unit 34, a projector, a printer, and a speaker.

[0022] The display unit 34 is a device capable of displaying images, character strings, etc., such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, etc. The display unit 34 displays information about the battery 20 and the plurality of devices 30.

[0023] In this embodiment, all of the devices 30 are driven by driving power supplied from the battery 20.

[0024] The storage device 33 is a device for storing programs or data executed by the control unit 40, or for functioning as a work area for the control unit 40. Examples of the storage device 33 include a memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0025] The control unit 40 functions as a controller that controls the entire electronic device 10, and controls the battery 20, the multiple devices 30, and the display unit 34. The control unit 40 is configured with a processor that realizes predetermined functions by executing programs stored in the storage device 33. The control unit 40 is not limited to a device that performs predetermined functions through the cooperation of hardware and software, but may also be a hardware circuit designed to realize the predetermined functions. In other words, the control unit 40 can be configured with various processors, such as a microcomputer, a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, a DSP, an FPGA, an ASIC, etc.

[0026] The control unit 40 acquires the power consumption of the battery 20 and the power consumption of each of the multiple devices 30, arranges the multiple devices 30 based on the ratio of their power consumption to the power consumption of the battery, and displays a list of the multiple devices 30 on the display unit 34. In this embodiment, the control unit 40 arranges the multiple devices 30 in descending order of power consumption ratio, and displays a list of the multiple devices 30 on the display unit 34.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a list 61 of multiple devices 30 displayed on the display unit 34. The control unit 40 displays, for example, an application window 60 on the display unit 34 that displays information about the power consumption of the electronic device 10. The application window 60 displays a list 61 of devices 30 that are powered by the battery 20. In the list 61 of devices 30, the devices 30 are displayed in descending order of power consumption. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, the built-in display (corresponding to the display unit 34) has the highest power consumption ratio of 30%, and is displayed at the top of the list 61. The power consumption ratio indicates the ratio of power consumption accounted for by each device 30 to the power consumption of the battery 20. In the example of FIG. 3, the power consumption of the built-in display accounts for 30% of the power consumption of the battery 20.

[0028] 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams illustrating another example of a list 61 of multiple devices 30 displayed on the display unit 34. As shown in FIG. 4, when a device 30 is selected from the list 61, information 63 about the device 30 is displayed. The information 63 about the device 30 includes a suggested operation 63a for the device 30 to reduce the power consumption of the electronic device 10. The operation for the device 30 refers to an operation that reduces power consumption and contributes to power saving of the electronic device 10, such as turning off a specific device 30. For example, if the specific device 30 is an internal display, the power consumption of the electronic device 10 can be reduced by lowering the brightness. If the specific device 30 is an external device connected to the electronic device 10, the power consumption of the electronic device 10 can be reduced by disconnecting the external device. Alternatively, if the specific device 30 is a network device that communicates via a wireless wide area network (WWAN) or a wireless local area network (WLAN), the power consumption of the electronic device 10 can be reduced by turning off the network device.

[0029] In the example of FIG. 4, the built-in display is selected from among the multiple devices 30. The proposed operation 63a for the built-in display is to reduce the brightness of the built-in display to 60%. By reducing the brightness of the built-in display, the power consumption of the built-in display can be reduced. It is also displayed that, as a result of the operation, the operating time of the battery 20 can be extended by approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. In this embodiment, when the built-in display is selected, a setting screen 63b for performing operations on the built-in display is displayed. Note that selecting a specific device 30 from among the multiple devices 30 includes, for example, clicking the specific device in the list 61 or clicking a portion showing the device in a schematic diagram 62 of the electronic device 10, which will be described later.

[0030] In the example of FIG. 5 , the right connection port is selected from among the multiple devices 30. The right connection port is an external connection terminal, such as a USB, that can receive power from the battery 20, and an external device can be connected to the electronic device 10 via the connection port. In the example of FIG. 5 , it is suggested to remove the device 30 connected to the right connection port. By removing the device, power supply from the battery 20 to the device 30 connected to the right connection port is stopped, thereby reducing power consumption. It is also displayed that the operating time of the battery 20 can be extended by approximately 45 minutes as a result of the operation. When the user selects a device displayed in the list 61, the user can receive suggested operations for that device. The user can also know how much the operating time of the battery 20 can be extended as a result of the suggested operation.

[0031] The control unit 40 may acquire a user's usage status and change the order of the list 61 based on the usage status. The user's usage status indicates what the user is doing using the electronic device 10. The control unit 40 can acquire the user's usage status based on, for example, the software used in the electronic device 10, such as "on a web conference" if a web conference system is being used, or "creating a document" if a document creation tool is being used. The control unit 40 can display devices 30 whose operations have a significant impact on the user's work lower in the list 61 based on the user's usage status. For example, if a WWAN operation is performed during a web conference, the web conference may be interrupted. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the WWAN is displayed lower in the list 61. By displaying devices whose operations to reduce power consumption may interfere with the user's work lower in the list 61 based on the user's usage status, it is possible to prevent the user from accidentally operating the WWAN during a web conference.

[0032] 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a list 61 of multiple devices 30 displayed on the display unit 34. As shown in FIG. 6, when WWAN is selected in the list 61 during a web conference, a suggestion 63a to refrain from performing operations to reduce power consumption can also be displayed.

[0033] For example, if the user is not connected to a network, such as when creating a document, the WWAN may be displayed next to the built-in display in the list 61. The control unit 40 can change the order of the devices 30 in the list 61 based on the user's usage. This allows the user to be suggested operations with higher power-saving effects without interfering with the user's work.

[0034] 3 to 6, in addition to the list 61, a schematic diagram 62 of the electronic device 10 may be displayed in the application window 60. In the schematic diagram 62, multiple devices 30 included in the list 61 may be displayed in different colors according to their power consumption.

[0035] For example, the control unit 40 may classify the devices 30 into a first group having high power consumption, a second group having medium power consumption, and a third group having low power consumption, according to the ratio of the power consumption to the power consumption of the battery 20. By classifying the devices into groups according to the power consumption ratio, the user can easily recognize which devices have a high power consumption ratio.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a window 60 of an application for setting power consumption thresholds for multiple devices 30. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, if the first threshold is set to 20% and the second threshold is set to 5%, devices 30 with a power consumption ratio of 20% or more are classified into a first group, devices 30 with a power consumption ratio of 5% or more but less than 20% are classified into a second group, and devices 30 with a power consumption ratio of less than 5% are classified into a third group. In the schematic diagrams 62 of FIGS. 3 to 6, the devices 30 are displayed in different colors based on the group into which they are classified. On the setting screen shown in FIG. 7, the user can change the first threshold and the second threshold.

[0037] 3, a schematic diagram 62a showing the built-in display with a power consumption ratio of 30%, a schematic diagram 62b showing the WWAN with a power consumption ratio of 25%, and a schematic diagram 62c showing the right connection port with a power consumption ratio of 20% are displayed in the same color. By displaying the devices in the first group with a high power consumption ratio in red, for example, in the schematic diagram 62, it is possible to visually present to the user the devices with high power consumption.

[0038] 4, when schematic diagram 62a showing the built-in display in schematic diagram 62 is selected, suggested operations 63a for the built-in display to reduce power consumption may be displayed, similar to when a built-in display is selected in list 61. Similarly, when schematic diagram 62a showing the built-in display in schematic diagram 62 is selected, settings screen 63b for performing operations on the built-in display may be displayed.

[0039] [Operation] 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the electronic device 10 according to the first embodiment. The operation of the electronic device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0040] The process starts when the user starts an application that displays information about the power consumption of the electronic device 10. When the application is started, the control unit 40 calculates the power consumption ratio in step S11.

[0041] 9 is a flowchart showing the calculation process of the power consumption ratio. The calculation process of the power consumption in step S11 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0042] In step S111, the control unit 40 obtains the current power consumption of the battery 20. The control unit 40 can obtain the power consumption of the battery 20 based on the current current or voltage value of the battery 20, for example.

[0043] Next, in step S112, the control unit 40 obtains the current power consumption of each device 30. The control unit 40 can obtain the power consumption of each device 30 based on, for example, the current or voltage value of each device 30.

[0044] In step S113, the control unit 40 calculates the power consumption ratio of each device 30 based on the power consumption obtained in steps S111 and S112.

[0045] Next, in step S114, the control unit 40 calculates an estimated extended drive time for each device 30. The estimated extended drive time for each device 30 indicates how much the drive time of the battery 20 can be extended if an operation to reduce power consumption is performed for each device. The estimated extended drive time can be calculated based on, for example, a table stored in the storage device 33 that indicates the relationship between the power consumption and drive time of the battery 20.

[0046] In step S115, the control unit 40 acquires the user's usage status. The user's usage status can be acquired based on the type of application running on the electronic device 10, such as a web conferencing system, document creation software, etc. After acquiring the user's usage status, the calculation process of the power consumption ratio ends.

[0047] Returning to FIG. 8, in step S12, the control unit 40 displays on the display unit 34 a list 61 of a plurality of devices 30 arranged in descending order of power consumption ratio.

[0048] 10 is a flowchart showing the display processing of the list 61. The display processing of the list 61 in step S12 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0049] In step S121, the control unit 40 arranges the devices 30 in descending order of power consumption ratio. At this time, the control unit 40 may change the order of the devices 30 in the list 61 based on the user's usage status. In this embodiment, as described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, the user's usage status is that a web conference is being held, so the control unit 40 changes the order of the WWAN in the list 61 and displays it lower.

[0050] In step S122, the control unit 40 classifies each device 30 into groups based on the power consumption ratio, and displays them on the display unit 34. In this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 7, the control unit 40 classifies devices 30 whose power consumption ratio is equal to or greater than a first threshold (20%) into a first group. Similarly, the control unit 40 classifies devices 30 whose power consumption ratio is equal to or greater than a second threshold (5%) but less than the first threshold into a second group. Furthermore, the control unit 40 classifies devices 30 whose power consumption ratio is less than the second threshold into a third group. The control unit 40 displays each device in a different color for each group in the schematic diagram 62. Once the control unit 40 has classified and displayed each device into groups, the display process for the list 61 ends.

[0051] Returning to FIG. 8, in step S13, the control unit 40 determines whether or not the device 30 in the list 61 or the schematic diagram 62 has been selected. If the portion representing the device 30 in the list 61 or the device in the schematic diagram 62 has been clicked, the control unit 40 determines that the device 30 has been selected. If the control unit 40 determines that the device 30 has been selected, the process proceeds to step S14. If the control unit 40 determines that the device 30 has not been selected, the process ends.

[0052] In step S14, the control unit 40 displays a suggestion 63a for an operation to reduce the power consumption of the selected device. In step S14, the control unit 40 may also display a setting screen 63b for performing the operation.

[0053] 11 is a flowchart showing the display process of the proposal 63a. The display process of the proposal 63a in step S14 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0054] In step S131, the control unit 40 displays operation suggestions 63a for the selected device 30. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, if the built-in display is selected from among the multiple devices 30, the control unit 40 displays operation suggestions 63a for lowering the brightness of the built-in display.

[0055] In step S133, the control unit 40 displays the setting screen 63b for performing operations on the selected device 30.

[0056] In step S133, the control unit 40 determines whether an operation to reduce power consumption has been performed on the selected device 30. For example, if the built-in display is selected and the brightness of the built-in display is changed, the control unit 40 determines that the operation has been performed. If the control unit 40 determines that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S134. If the control unit 40 determines that the operation has not been performed, the display process of the suggestion 63a ends.

[0057] In step S134, the control unit 40 updates the display of the list 61 based on the operation performed in step S133. For example, if the brightness of the built-in display is reduced and the power consumption ratio of the built-in display is reduced, the order of the devices 30 in the list 61 is changed. Also, if the brightness of the built-in display is reduced and the power consumption ratio is reduced, causing a change in the group to which the built-in display is classified, the display of the schematic diagram 62 is updated. After the control unit 40 updates the display of the list 61 in step S134, the display process of the operation suggestions 63a is completed.

[0058] [effect] According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0059] The electronic device 10 according to this embodiment includes a battery 20, a plurality of devices 30, a display unit 34, and a control unit 40. The battery 20 supplies driving power to the electronic device 10. The plurality of devices 30 are driven by the driving power from the battery 20. The display unit 34 displays information related to the battery 20 and the plurality of devices 30. The control unit 40 controls the battery 20, the plurality of devices 30, and the display unit 34. The control unit 40 acquires the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices 30. The control unit 40 displays a list 61 of the plurality of devices arranged based on power consumption on the display unit 34. When a device 30 included in the list 61 is selected, the control unit 40 displays a suggested operation 63a for the device 30 to reduce the power consumption of the electronic device 10 on the display unit 34.

[0060] With this configuration, an electronic device with improved convenience can be provided. By displaying a list of multiple devices 30 arranged based on power consumption, it is possible to clearly show the user which device 30 should be operated to reduce power consumption in order to extend the operating time of the battery 20. Furthermore, by arranging the devices 30 in descending order of power consumption, the user can appropriately select the device 30 for which to perform an operation to reduce power consumption.

[0061] The control unit 40 may also arrange the devices 30 included in the list 61 in descending order of power consumption.

[0062] With this configuration, the list 61 displays multiple devices 30 in descending order of power consumption ratio, allowing the user to easily determine which device 30 to operate to achieve the greatest power saving effect.

[0063] Furthermore, when a device 30 included in the list 61 is selected, the control unit 40 may display a setting screen 63b on the display unit 34 for performing operations on the device 30.

[0064] With this configuration, when performing an operation to reduce power consumption, the user can perform the operation without opening the setting screen, thereby reducing the effort required by the user.

[0065] Furthermore, the control unit 40 may acquire the usage status of the user who uses the electronic device 10, and change the order of the list 61 based on the usage status.

[0066] With this configuration, it is possible to suggest operations for devices 30 that the user is not likely to be using, depending on the user's usage status, thereby improving user convenience.

[0067] Furthermore, the device used by the user may be lowered in the list 61 based on the usage status.

[0068] With this configuration, it is possible to suggest operations that reduce power consumption without interfering with the user's work.

[0069] The control unit 40 may also classify the devices 30 into a plurality of groups, including a first group including devices whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a first threshold, and a second group including devices whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold but less than the first threshold. The control unit 40 may display the devices 30 in different colors for each group in the schematic diagram 62 of the electronic device 10 displayed on the display unit 34.

[0070] With this configuration, devices 30 with high power consumption are visually easy to understand, and the user can easily determine which device 30 to operate.

[0071] In addition, when a device 30 displayed in the schematic diagram 62 is selected, the control unit 40 may display on the display unit 34 a suggestion 63a for an operation for the device 30 to reduce the power consumption of the electronic device 10.

[0072] With this configuration, the devices 30 are arranged in descending order of power consumption, allowing the user to appropriately select the device 30 to operate in order to reduce power consumption.

[0073] Furthermore, when a device 30 displayed in the schematic diagram 62 is selected, the control unit 40 may display a setting screen 63b on the display unit 34 for performing operations on the device 30.

[0074] With this configuration, when performing an operation to reduce power consumption, the user can perform the operation without opening the setting screen, thereby reducing the effort required by the user.

[0075] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the list 61 of devices 30 is displayed in descending order of the ratio of power consumption to the power consumption of the battery 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a list may be displayed in descending order of the power consumption of each device 30, instead of the ratio of power consumption to the power consumption of the battery 20.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the order of devices 30 used by a user in the list 61 is changed to a lower position based on the user's usage status, but this is not limiting. For example, devices used by a user may be excluded from the list 61 based on the user's usage status. With this configuration, devices used by a user are not displayed in the list 61, which can prevent the user from accidentally turning off devices 30 that the user is using, thereby improving user convenience.

[0077] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which multiple devices 30 are arranged in descending order of power consumption ratio, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, devices 30 whose power consumption is less than a predetermined threshold may be excluded from the list 61. This configuration can reduce the number of options presented to the user, allowing the user to easily determine a device for which to perform an operation to reduce power consumption.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 40 classifies the devices 30 into three groups according to the power consumption ratio, but this is not limiting. For example, the control unit 40 may classify the devices 30 into two groups: a first group in which the power consumption ratio is greater than a first threshold, and a second group in which the power consumption ratio is equal to or less than a second threshold. Alternatively, the control unit 40 may classify the devices 30 into four or more groups.

[0079] (Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Figures 12A and 12B. In Embodiment 2, the same or equivalent configurations as in Embodiment 1 will be denoted by the same reference numerals. In Embodiment 2, descriptions that overlap with Embodiment 1 will be omitted.

[0080] Fig. 12A is a schematic diagram showing the display unit 34 of the electronic device 10 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 12B is an enlarged view of the notification 70 in Fig. 12A. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the notification 70 is displayed on the display unit 34 when the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than a first threshold, or when the power consumption of at least one of the multiple devices 30 is equal to or greater than a second threshold.

[0081] The electronic device 10 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the electronic device 10 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0082] In this embodiment, the control unit 40 acquires the power consumption of the battery 20 and the power consumption of each of the multiple devices 30 when the battery 20 is not connected to the power source 50. If the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than a first threshold, or if the power consumption of at least one of the multiple devices 30 is equal to or greater than a second threshold, the control unit 40 displays a notification 70 on the display unit 34. In this embodiment, the notification 70 is displayed on the display unit 34 in the form of a pop-up window.

[0083] 12A and 12B, when the power consumption of battery 20 is equal to or greater than a first threshold, notification 71 indicating that power consumption is increasing is displayed in notification 70. Notification 71 also includes suggestion 72 urging the user to connect power source 50 to battery 20.

[0084] The notification 70 may also include a button 73 for opening the application window 60 described with reference to Figures 3 to 7. Clicking the button 73 can display information about the power consumption of each device 30 of the electronic device 10, as shown in Figures 3 to 6. That is, selecting the button 73 can display a list 61 of multiple devices 30 arranged in descending order of power consumption on the display unit 34.

[0085] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams showing another example of the notification 70. In the example of Fig. 13A, the notification 70 displays a notice 71 indicating that the power consumption of a device connected to the left connection port is increasing. In addition, in the example of Fig. 13A, the notification 70 also includes a suggestion 72 prompting the user to remove the device connected to the left connection port.

[0086] In the example of Fig. 13B, notification 70 displays notice 71 indicating that power consumption by WWAN is increasing. Also, in the example of Fig. 13B, notification 70 includes suggestion 72 encouraging switching to airplane mode. Furthermore, in the example of Fig. 13B, notification 70 displays setting screen 74 for operations to reduce power consumption for WWAN.

[0087] 14 is a schematic diagram showing an application window 60 for setting the first threshold. In this embodiment, the first threshold is set to 30 W. The user can set the first threshold to a desired value on a setting screen 81 displayed in the application window 60 shown in FIG.

[0088] Furthermore, it is possible to set whether to turn on the notification 70 on a notification setting screen 82 in the application window 60 shown in Fig. 14. When the notification 70 is turned off, the notification 70 is not displayed even if the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than the first threshold.

[0089] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing a window 60 of an application for setting the second threshold. In this embodiment, the second threshold can be set for each device 30 on a setting screen 83 displayed in the window 60. That is, the second threshold includes multiple thresholds individually set for each of the multiple devices 30. In the example of FIG. 15, the second threshold is set as a threshold for the power consumption ratio relative to the power consumption of the battery 20. However, a power consumption threshold may be set for each device 30. As with the first threshold, the user can set the second threshold to a desired value for each device 30. Also, in this embodiment, the user can set whether to turn on the notification 70 for each device 30 on a notification setting screen 84 displayed in the window 60. That is, the notification 70 can be set to on or off for each of the multiple devices 30. When the notification 70 for a device 30 is turned off, the notification 70 for that device 30 is not displayed even if the power consumption ratio of that device 30 is equal to or greater than the second threshold.

[0090] [Operation] 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the electronic device 10 according to the second embodiment. The operation of the electronic device 10 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0091] For example, the process starts when the electronic device 10 is started. In step S21, the control unit 40 determines whether the battery 20 is connected to the power source 50. If the battery 20 is connected to the power source 50, the process ends. If the battery 20 is not connected to the power source 50, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0092] In step S22, the control unit 40 acquires the power consumption. Fig. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the power consumption acquisition process. The power consumption acquisition process will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 17.

[0093] In step S221, the control unit 40 acquires the current power consumption of the battery 20. The control unit 40 can acquire the power consumption of the battery 20 based on, for example, the current current or voltage value of the battery 20. The power consumption of the battery 20 may be an instantaneous value at the time of acquisition, or may be an average value of instantaneous values ​​over the past few minutes up to the time of acquisition. Alternatively, the power consumption of the battery 20 may be the amount of power consumption.

[0094] Next, in step S222, the control unit 40 acquires the power consumption of each device 30. The control unit 40 can acquire the power consumption of each device 30 based on, for example, the current or voltage value of each device 30. The power consumption of each device 30 may be an instantaneous value at the time of acquisition, or may be an average value of the instantaneous values ​​up to the time of acquisition over the past several minutes. Alternatively, the power consumption of the battery 20 may be the amount of power consumption. At this time, the control unit 40 may calculate the ratio of the power consumption of each device 30 to the power consumption of the battery 20. After acquiring the power consumption of each device 30, the power consumption acquisition process ends.

[0095] 16, in step S223, the control unit 40 displays a notification on the display unit 34. Fig. 18 is a flowchart illustrating the notification display process. The notification display process will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 18.

[0096] In step S231, the control unit 40 determines whether the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than a first threshold. In this embodiment, the first threshold is set to 30 W, as shown in FIG. 14. The control unit 40 compares the power consumption of the battery 20 acquired in step S221 with the first threshold, and determines whether the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than the first threshold. If the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than 30 W, the process proceeds to step S232. If the power consumption of the battery 20 is less than 30 W, the process proceeds to step S234.

[0097] In step S232, the control unit 40 determines whether the notification setting is on. As shown in Fig. 14, if the notification setting is on on the notification setting screen 82, the process proceeds to step S233, and if the notification setting is off, the process proceeds to step S234.

[0098] In step S233, the control unit 40 displays a notification 70 on the display unit 34. For example, the control unit 40 displays the notification 70 shown in Fig. 12B to notify the user that power consumption is increasing.

[0099] Next, in step S234, the control unit 40 determines whether the power consumption of each device 30 is equal to or greater than the second threshold. In this embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 15, the determination in step S232 uses the power consumption ratio of each device 30 to the power consumption of the battery 20. The control unit 40 compares the power consumption ratio of each device 30 with the second threshold to determine whether the power consumption ratio of each device 30 is equal to or greater than the second threshold. If the power consumption ratio of at least one device 30 is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the process proceeds to step S235. If the power consumption ratio of all devices 30 is less than the second threshold, the notification display process ends.

[0100] In step S235, the control unit 40 determines whether the notification setting is on. If the notification setting is on in the notification setting screen 84 shown in Fig. 15, the process proceeds to step S236, and if the notification setting is off, the process ends.

[0101] In step S236, the control unit 40 displays a notification 70 on the display unit 34. For example, the control unit 40 displays the notification 70 shown in Fig. 13A or 13B to notify the user that the power consumption of the device 30 is increasing. After displaying the notification 70, the notification display process ends.

[0102] The process ends when the control unit 40 displays the notification 70. The process described with reference to Figures 16 to 18 can be executed periodically at predetermined time intervals after the electronic device 10 is started up. Alternatively, the series of processes may be executed constantly after the electronic device 10 is started up.

[0103] [effect] According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

[0104] The electronic device 10 according to this embodiment includes a battery 20, a plurality of devices 30, a display unit 34, and a control unit 40. The battery 20 supplies driving power to the electronic device 10. The plurality of devices 30 are driven by the driving power from the battery 20. The display unit 34 displays information related to the battery 20 and the plurality of devices 30. The control unit 40 controls the battery 20, the plurality of devices 30, and the display unit 34. When the battery 20 is not connected to a power source 50, the control unit 40 acquires the power consumption of the battery 20 and the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices 30. When the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than a first threshold, or when the power consumption of at least one of the plurality of devices 30 is equal to or greater than a second threshold, the control unit 40 displays a notification 70 on the display unit 34.

[0105] With this configuration, when power consumption is high and the operating time of battery 20 is likely to be short, notification 70 can be displayed in advance to prompt the user to reduce power consumption. This allows the user to operate to reduce power consumption while there is still ample capacity left in battery 20. This improves user convenience.

[0106] When the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the control unit 40 may display on the display unit 34 a notice 70 including a suggestion to connect the battery 20 to a power source.

[0107] With this configuration, if the electronic device 10 is not being charged and a power-hungry operation or a power-hungry device is connected, the user can be notified in advance that the remaining charge of the battery 20 may be significantly reduced. The user can then take action, such as charging the battery 20, upon receiving the notification. Alternatively, the electronic device 10 can be prevented from suddenly shutting down due to insufficient remaining charge of the battery 20.

[0108] When the power consumption of at least one of the multiple devices 30 is equal to or greater than a second threshold, the control unit 40 may display a notification 70 on the display unit that includes a suggestion for an operation to be performed on the device 30 whose power consumption is equal to or greater than the second threshold.

[0109] With this configuration, the user can perform an operation to reduce the power consumption of the device 30 that consumes a lot of power, and the operating time of the battery 20 can be extended.

[0110] The notification 70 may include a setting screen 84 for an operation to reduce power consumption of devices 30 that are equal to or greater than the second threshold.

[0111] With this configuration, the user can easily perform an operation from the notification 70.

[0112] The second threshold may include a plurality of thresholds that are set individually for each of the plurality of devices 30 .

[0113] With this configuration, the threshold can be set for each device 30 according to the user's preference, improving user convenience.

[0114] The control unit 40 may control whether the notification 70 is turned on or off for each of the multiple devices 30 .

[0115] With this configuration, the user can select whether or not to notify each device 30 .

[0116] When the notification is selected, the control unit 40 may display on the display unit 34 a list 61 of a plurality of devices 30 arranged in descending order of power consumption.

[0117] This configuration allows the user to easily access information about the power consumption of the electronic device 10.

[0118] (Outline of the embodiment) (1) An electronic device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a battery that supplies power to the electronic device, a plurality of devices that are powered by the power from the battery, a display unit that displays information about the battery and the plurality of devices, and a control unit that controls the battery, the plurality of devices, and the display unit. The control unit acquires the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices, and displays on the display unit a list of the plurality of devices arranged based on power consumption. When a device included in the list is selected, the display unit displays suggested operations for the device to reduce the power consumption of the electronic device.

[0119] (2) In the electronic device of (1), the control unit may arrange the devices included in the list in descending order of power consumption.

[0120] (3) In the electronic device of (1) or (2), when a device included in the list is selected, the control unit may display a setting screen on the display unit for performing operations on the device.

[0121] (4) In any one of the electronic devices (1) to (3), the control unit may acquire a usage status of a user who uses the electronic device and change the order of the list based on the usage status.

[0122] (5) In any one of the electronic devices (1) to (4), the control unit may change the order of the device used by the user in the list to a lower order based on the usage status.

[0123] (6) In any one of the electronic devices (1) to (5), the control unit may acquire the usage status of the user who uses the electronic device, and based on the usage status, may exclude the device used by the user from the list.

[0124] (7) In the electronic device of any one of (1) to (6), the control unit may exclude from the list, from among the plurality of devices, a device whose power consumption is less than a predetermined threshold.

[0125] (8) In any one of the electronic devices (1) to (7), the control unit may classify the multiple devices into multiple groups, including a first group to which devices whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a first threshold belong, and a second group to which devices whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold but less than the first threshold belong, and may display the multiple devices in different colors for each group on a schematic diagram of the electronic device displayed on the display unit.

[0126] (9) In the electronic device of (8), when a device displayed in the schematic diagram is selected, the control unit may display on the display unit suggestions for operations for the device to reduce the power consumption of the electronic device.

[0127] (10) In the electronic device of (8) or (9), when a device displayed in the schematic diagram is selected, the control unit may display a setting screen on the display unit for performing operations on the device.

[0128] (11) Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an electronic device comprising: a battery that supplies driving power to the electronic device; a plurality of devices that are powered by the driving power from the battery; a display unit that displays information about the battery and the plurality of devices; and a control unit that controls the battery, the plurality of devices, and the display unit. When the battery is not connected to a power source, the control unit acquires the power consumption of the battery and the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices, and displays a notification on the display unit if the power consumption of the battery is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, or if the power consumption of at least one of the plurality of devices is equal to or greater than a second threshold value.

[0129] (12) In the electronic device of (11), the control unit may display a notice on the display unit that includes a suggestion to connect the battery to a power source when the power consumption of the battery is equal to or greater than a first threshold.

[0130] (13) In the electronic device of (11) or (12), when the power consumption of at least one of the multiple devices is equal to or greater than a second threshold, the control unit may display a notification on the display unit including a suggestion for an operation for the device whose power consumption is equal to or greater than the second threshold.

[0131] (14) In the electronic device of any one of (11) to (13), the notification may include a setting screen for an operation to reduce power consumption of a device that is equal to or greater than the second threshold.

[0132] (15) In the electronic device of any one of (11) to (14), the second threshold may include a plurality of thresholds that are individually set for each of a plurality of devices.

[0133] (16) In the electronic device of any one of (11) to (15), the control unit may control whether notifications are turned on or off for each of the multiple devices.

[0134] (17) In the electronic device of any one of (11) to (16), when the notification is selected, the control unit may display on the display unit a list of multiple devices arranged in descending order of power consumption. [Industrial Applicability]

[0135] The present disclosure can be applied to electronic devices that are powered by a battery, such as laptop PCs, tablet PCs, or smartphones. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 10 Electronic equipment 20 Battery 30 devices 31 Input Devices 32 Output Devices 33 Storage device 34 Display section 40 Control Unit 50 power supply 60 windows 61 List 62 Schematic diagram 63a suggestion 63b Settings screen 70 notifications 72 Proposals 73 Button 74 Settings screen 81 Settings screen 83 Settings screen 84 Settings screen

Claims

1. An electronic device, a battery that supplies driving power to the electronic device; a plurality of devices driven by driving power from the battery; a display unit that displays information about the battery and the plurality of devices; a control unit that controls the battery, the plurality of devices, and the display unit; Equipped with The control unit acquiring power consumption of each of the plurality of devices; classifying the plurality of devices into a plurality of groups including a first group to which devices whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a first threshold belong, and a second group to which devices whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold but less than the first threshold belong; the plurality of devices are displayed in different colors for each group on the schematic diagram of the electronic device displayed on the display unit; electronic equipment.

2. The control unit displaying a list of the plurality of devices arranged based on power consumption on the display unit; excluding from the list, from the plurality of devices, devices whose power consumption is less than a predetermined threshold; The electronic device according to claim 1 .

3. When a device included in the list is selected, the control unit displays on the display unit a suggestion of an operation for the device to reduce power consumption of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2.

4. when a device displayed on the schematic diagram is selected, the control unit displays, on the display unit, a suggestion of an operation for the device to reduce power consumption of the electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

5. when a device displayed on the schematic diagram is selected, the control unit displays a setting screen for performing an operation on the device on the display unit.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4.

6. An electronic device, a battery that supplies driving power to the electronic device; a plurality of devices driven by driving power from the battery; a display unit that displays information about the battery and the plurality of devices; a control unit that controls the battery, the plurality of devices, and the display unit; Equipped with The control unit acquiring a power consumption of the battery and a power consumption of each of the plurality of devices when the battery is not connected to a power source; displaying a notification on the display unit when the power consumption of the battery is equal to or greater than a first threshold or when the power consumption of at least one of the plurality of devices is equal to or greater than a second threshold; When the power consumption of the battery is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the notification including a suggestion to connect the battery to a power source is displayed on the display unit. electronic equipment.

7. When the power consumption of at least one of the plurality of devices is equal to or greater than the second threshold, the control unit displays the notification on the display unit, the notification including a suggestion of an operation for the device whose power consumption is equal to or greater than the second threshold.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6.

8. the notification includes a setting screen for an operation to reduce power consumption of a device that is equal to or greater than the second threshold.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7.

9. the second threshold value includes a plurality of threshold values ​​that are individually set for each of the plurality of devices; 7. The electronic device according to claim 6.

10. The control unit controls turning on or off notifications for each of the plurality of devices.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6.

11. When the notification is selected, the control unit displays a list of the plurality of devices arranged in descending order of power consumption on the display unit.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6.

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