JP2024043320A - Electronics - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device that improves user convenience by presenting operations that are highly effective in reducing power consumption.
An electronic device 10 includes a battery 20 that supplies driving power to the electronic device 10, a plurality of devices 30 that are driven by the driving power from the battery 20, and a display that displays information about the battery 20 and the plurality of devices 30. 34, a battery 20, a plurality of devices 30, and a control section 40 that controls the display section 34. The control unit 40 obtains the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices 30, displays a list of the plurality of devices 30 arranged based on power consumption on the display unit 34, and when a device 30 included in the list is selected. , a suggestion for an operation for the device 30 to reduce the power consumption of the electronic device 10 is displayed on the display unit 34 .
[Selection diagram] Figure 2

Description

The present disclosure relates to electronic devices.

In electronic devices that are powered by batteries, efforts are being made to reduce power consumption and extend the battery operating time.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic device that estimates the power consumption of each of multiple apps that may be executed simultaneously.

JP2013-257680A

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

The present disclosure provides electronic equipment with improved convenience.

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 drive power from the battery;
a display unit that displays information regarding 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 includes:
Obtain the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices,
displaying a list of the plurality of devices arranged based on power consumption on the display unit;
When a device included in the list is selected, a suggestion for operating the device to reduce power consumption of the electronic device is displayed on the display unit.

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 drive power from the battery;
a display unit that displays information regarding 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 includes:
obtaining the power consumption of the battery and the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices when the battery is not connected to a power source;
A notification is displayed on the display unit when the power consumption of the battery is greater than or equal to a first threshold, or when the power consumption of at least one of the plurality of devices is greater than or equal to a second threshold.

This disclosure makes it possible to provide electronic devices with improved convenience.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an electronic device according to a first embodiment; Block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic device in Figure 1 Schematic diagram showing an example of a list of multiple devices displayed on the display unit Schematic diagram showing another example of a list of multiple devices displayed on the display unit Schematic diagram showing another example of a list of multiple devices displayed on the display unit FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a list of multiple devices displayed on the display unit. Schematic diagram showing an example of a window of an application for setting power consumption thresholds for multiple devices Flowchart explaining the operation of the electronic device according to the first embodiment Flowchart showing calculation process of power consumption ratio Flowchart showing list display processing Flowchart showing proposal display processing Schematic diagram showing a display unit of an electronic device according to Embodiment 2 An enlarged view of the notification in Figure 12A Schematic diagram showing another example of a notification Schematic diagram showing another example of a notification Schematic diagram showing the window of the application for setting the first threshold Schematic diagram showing the window of the application for setting the second threshold Flowchart showing the operation of the electronic device according to the second embodiment Flowchart explaining the power consumption acquisition process Flowchart explaining the notification display process

(The circumstances that led to this disclosure)
For example, in electronic devices powered by batteries, such as laptop computers or tablet computers, there is a desire to reduce power consumption and extend battery operating time. Therefore, estimating the power consumption of applications executed on electronic devices is being considered.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic device capable of executing multiple applications that estimates the proportion of power consumption of each application in the entire electronic device.

In the electronic device of Patent Document 1, it is not possible to show the user what operations to perform to reduce power consumption, so the user is unable to utilize the information presented, making it difficult to use. There is room for improvement in terms of gender.

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have studied an electronic device that improves user convenience by presenting users with operations that are highly effective in reducing power consumption, and have arrived at the following invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described based on the drawings.

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

As shown in Figs. 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.

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

The plurality of devices 30 are devices built into the electronic device 10 or devices connected to the electronic device 10 via a connection terminal such as a USB. The device 30 includes, for example, an input device 31, an output device 32, a storage device 33, and the like. Further, the device 30 may include a network device (not shown) for performing wireless communication or wired communication.

The input device 31 is a device for giving data, information, instructions, etc. to the electronic device 10. Examples of the input device 31 include a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, or microphone.

The output device 32 is a device for receiving data from a program executed by the control unit 40 and presenting it in a format recognizable by the user. Examples of the output device 32 include a display section 34, a projector, a printer, or a speaker.

The display unit 34 is, for example, a device capable of displaying images or character strings, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 34 displays information related to the battery 20 and the multiple devices 30.

In this embodiment, all of the plurality of devices 30 are driven by drive power supplied from the battery 20.

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

The control unit 40 functions as a controller that controls the entire electronic device 10, and controls the battery 20, the plurality of devices 30, and the display unit 34. The control unit 40 is composed of a processor that implements predetermined functions by executing a program stored in the storage device 33. The control unit 40 is not limited to one that executes a predetermined function through cooperation between hardware and software, but may be a hardware circuit designed to implement a predetermined function. That is, the control unit 40 can be configured with various processors such as a microcomputer, CPU, MPU, GPU, DSP, FPGA, and ASIC.

The control unit 40 acquires the power consumption of the battery 20 and the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices 30, arranges the plurality of devices 30 based on the ratio of power consumption to the battery power consumption, and displays a list of the plurality of devices 30. 34. Note that in this embodiment, the control unit 40 arranges the plurality of devices 30 in descending order of power consumption ratio, and displays a list of the plurality of devices 30 on the display unit 34.

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 that displays information regarding the power consumption of the electronic device 10 on the display unit 34. A list 61 of devices 30 powered by the battery 20 is displayed in the application window 60 . In the list 61 of devices 30, the devices 30 are arranged and 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 the power consumption of each device 30 to the power consumption of the battery 20. The example in FIG. 3 shows that the power consumption of the built-in display accounts for 30% of the power consumption of the battery 20.

4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing another example of the list 61 of the plurality of devices 30 displayed on the display unit 34. As shown in FIG. 4, when a device 30 in the list 61 is selected, information 63 regarding the device 30 is displayed. The information 63 regarding the device 30 includes a suggestion 63a for operating the device 30 in order to reduce the power consumption of the electronic device 10. The operation on the device 30 is an operation that reduces power consumption and contributes to power saving of the electronic device 10, and refers to an operation such as turning off a predetermined device 30, for example. For example, if the predetermined device 30 is a built-in display, the power consumption of the electronic device 10 can be reduced by lowering the brightness. Moreover, if the predetermined device 30 is an external device connected to the electronic device 10, the power consumption of the electronic device 10 can be reduced by removing the external device. Alternatively, if the predetermined device is a network device that communicates via WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) or WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), the power consumption of the electronic device 10 can be reduced by turning off the network device. can do.

In the example of FIG. 4, a built-in display is selected from among the plurality of devices 30. A suggestion 63a for operating the built-in display is to reduce the brightness of the built-in display to 60%. By lowering the brightness of the built-in display, you can reduce the power consumption of the built-in display. Furthermore, as a result of the operation, it is displayed that the operating time of the battery 20 can be extended by about 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 predetermined device 30 from among the plurality of devices 30 means, for example, clicking on a predetermined device in the list 61, or clicking on a portion indicating the corresponding device in a schematic diagram 62 of the electronic device 10, which will be described later. including doing.

In the example of FIG. 5, the right side connection port is selected among the plurality of devices 30. The right side connection port is an external connection terminal that can be supplied with power from the battery 20 such as a USB, and an external device can be connected to the electronic device 10 via the connection port. In the example of FIG. 5, it is proposed to remove the device 30 connected to the right-hand connection port. By removing the device, power supply from the battery 20 to the device 30 connected to the right side connection port is stopped, so power consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, as a result of the operation, it is displayed that the operating time of the battery 20 can be extended by about 45 minutes. When the user selects a device displayed in the list 61, the user can receive suggestions for operations on that device. Furthermore, the user can know how much the operating time of the battery 20 can be extended as a result of the proposed operation.

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

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the list 61 of the plurality of devices 30 displayed on the display unit 34. As shown in FIG. 6, when a WWAN is selected in the list 61 during a web conference, a suggestion 63a may be displayed asking the user not to perform an operation to reduce power consumption.

For example, if the usage situation is such that a document is being created and no network connection is required, 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 status. Therefore, it is possible to suggest to the user an operation with a higher power saving effect without interfering with the user's work.

As shown in Figs. 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.

For example, the control unit 40 divides the plurality of groups into a first group with high power consumption, a second group with medium power consumption, and a third group with low power consumption, depending on the power consumption ratio to the power consumption of the battery 20. Device 30 may be classified. By classifying a plurality of devices into a plurality of groups according to the power consumption ratio, the user can easily recognize which device has a high power consumption ratio.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an application window 60 for setting power consumption thresholds for a plurality of 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%, the devices 30 whose power consumption ratio is 20% or more are classified into the first group. , devices 30 with a power consumption ratio of 5% or more and less than 20% are classified into the second group, and devices 30 with a power consumption ratio of less than 5% are classified into the 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 each device 30 is classified. In the setting screen shown in FIG. 7, the user can change the first threshold value and the second threshold value.

In the example of FIG. 3, a schematic diagram 62a showing a built-in display with a power consumption rate of 30%, a schematic diagram 62b showing a WWAN with a power consumption rate of 25%, and a schematic diagram showing a right side connection port with a power consumption rate of 20%. 62c is displayed in the same color. By displaying the first group of devices with a high power consumption ratio in red, for example, in the schematic diagram 62, devices with high power consumption can be presented to the user in a visually easy-to-understand manner.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the schematic diagram 62a showing the built-in display in the schematic diagram 62 is selected, similar to the case where the built-in display in the list 61 is selected, the built-in display for reducing power consumption is An operation suggestion 63a may be displayed. Similarly, when the schematic diagram 62a showing the built-in display in the schematic diagram 62 is selected, a setting screen 63b for performing operations on the built-in display may be displayed.

[motion]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of electronic device 10 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8, the operation of electronic device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.

When the user launches an application that displays information regarding the power consumption of the electronic device 10, the process begins. When the application is started, the control unit 40 calculates the power consumption ratio in step S11.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the power consumption ratio calculation process. Referring to FIG. 9, the power consumption calculation process in step S11 will be described in detail.

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.

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 the current current or voltage value of each device 30, for example.

Based on the power consumption acquired in steps S111 and S112, the control unit 40 calculates the power consumption ratio of each device 30 in step S113.

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

In step S115, the control unit 40 acquires the usage status of the user. The user's usage status can be acquired based on, for example, the type of application being executed on the electronic device 10, such as a web conference system or document creation software. After acquiring the usage status of the user, the power consumption ratio calculation process ends.

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.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the display processing of the list 61. Referring to FIG. 10, the process of displaying the list 61 in step S12 will be described in detail.

In step S121, the control unit 40 arranges the devices 30 in order of decreasing 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 Figures 3 to 6, since the user's usage status is during a web conference, the control unit 40 changes the order of the WWAN in the list 61 to a lower position and displays it.

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 the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 7, the control unit 40 classifies the devices 30 whose power consumption ratio is equal to or higher than the first threshold (20%) into the first group. Similarly, the control unit 40 classifies the devices 30 whose power consumption ratio is greater than or equal to the second threshold (5%) and less than the first threshold into the second group. Further, the control unit 40 classifies the devices 30 whose power consumption ratio is less than the second threshold into the third group. The control unit 40 displays each device in a different color for each group on the schematic diagram 62. When the control unit 40 classifies and displays the respective devices into groups, the process of displaying the list 61 ends.

Returning to FIG. 8, in step S13, the control unit 40 determines whether the device 30 in the list 61 or the schematic diagram 62 has been selected. When the device 30 in the list 61 or the portion indicating the device in the schematic diagram 62 is 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 advances to step S14. If the control unit 40 determines that the device 30 is not selected, the process ends.

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

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the display processing of the proposal 63a. Referring to FIG. 11, the display process of the proposal 63a in step S14 will be described in detail.

In step S131, the control unit 40 displays an operation suggestion 63a for the selected device 30. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the built-in display is selected from among the plurality of devices 30, the control unit 40 displays a suggestion 63a for an operation to lower the brightness of the built-in display.

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

In step S133, the control unit 40 determines whether an operation for reducing power consumption has been performed on the selected device 30. For example, when the built-in display is selected and the brightness of the built-in display is changed, the control unit 40 determines that an operation has been performed. If the control unit 40 determines that the operation has been performed, the process advances to step S134. If the control unit 40 determines that no operation has been performed, the display process of the proposal 63a ends.

In step S134, the control unit 40 updates the display of the list 61 based on the operation performed in step S133. For example, when the power consumption rate of the built-in display decreases as a result of a decrease in the brightness of the built-in display, the order of the devices 30 in the list 61 is changed. Furthermore, when the brightness of the built-in display decreases and the power consumption rate decreases, and the group into which the built-in display is classified changes, the display in the schematic diagram 62 is updated. When the control unit 40 updates the display of the list 61 in step S134, the display process of the operation suggestion 63a ends.

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

Electronic device 10 according to this embodiment includes a battery 20, a plurality of devices 30, a display section 34, and a control section 40. The battery 20 supplies driving power to the electronic device 10. The plurality of devices 30 are driven by drive power from the battery 20. The display unit 34 displays information regarding 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 obtains the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices 30. The control unit 40 displays on the display unit 34 a list 61 of a plurality of devices arranged based on power consumption. When a device 30 included in the list 61 is selected, the control unit 40 displays on the display unit 34 a suggestion 63a of an operation for the device 30 to reduce power consumption of the electronic device 10.

With such a configuration, it is possible to provide an electronic device with improved convenience. By displaying a list of a plurality of devices 30 side by side based on power consumption, the user can understand which device 30 should perform an operation to reduce power consumption in order to extend the operating time of the battery 20. Can be presented easily. Furthermore, by arranging the devices 30 in descending order of power consumption, the user can appropriately select the device 30 to be operated to reduce power consumption.

Further, the control unit 40 may arrange the plurality of devices 30 included in the list 61 in descending order of power consumption.

With such a configuration, a plurality of devices 30 are displayed in the list 61 in descending order of power consumption ratio, so that it is easy for the user to determine which device 30 to perform an operation on that will have the highest power saving effect. be able to.

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

With such a configuration, when performing an operation to reduce power consumption, the user can perform the operation without opening the setting screen, so that the user's effort can be reduced.

Further, the control unit 40 may obtain 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.

This configuration makes it 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.

The device being used by the user may also be lowered in the list 61 based on usage.

With such a configuration, it is possible to propose an operation that reduces power consumption without interfering with the user's work.

In addition, the control unit 40 divides the plurality of devices 30 into a first group to which devices whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a first threshold belongs, and a group whose power consumption is equal to or greater than a second threshold and less than a first threshold. The devices may be classified into a plurality of groups including a second group to which the devices belong. The control unit 40 may display the plurality of devices 30 in different colors for each group on the schematic diagram 62 of the electronic device 10 displayed on the display unit 34.

This configuration makes it easier to visually identify devices 30 that consume a lot of power, allowing the user to easily determine which device 30 to operate.

Further, when the device 30 displayed in the schematic diagram 62 is selected, the control unit 40 displays on the display unit 34 a suggestion 63a of an operation for the device 30 to reduce the power consumption of the electronic device 10. Good too.

With this configuration, by arranging the devices 30 in descending order of power consumption, the user can appropriately select the device 30 to be operated to reduce power consumption.

In addition, 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.

With such a configuration, when performing an operation to reduce power consumption, the user can perform the operation without opening the setting screen, so that the user's effort can be reduced.

Note that in the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which a list 61 of devices 30 arranged in descending order of power consumption ratio to power consumption of battery 20 is displayed, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of the power consumption ratio to the power consumption of the battery 20, a list arranged in order of power consumption of each device 30 may be displayed.

Further, in the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the order of the devices 30 used by the user in the list 61 is changed to a lower order based on the user's usage status, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, devices used by the user may be excluded from the list 61 based on the usage status of the user. With such a configuration, by not displaying the device that the user is using in the list 61, it is possible to prevent the user from accidentally turning off the device 30 that the user is using, thereby improving user convenience. be able to.

Further, in the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the plurality of 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 smaller than a predetermined threshold may be excluded from the list 61. With such a configuration, the number of options presented to the user can be reduced, and the user can easily determine the device on which to perform an operation to reduce power consumption.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 40 classifies each device 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 multiple devices 30 into four or more groups.

(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B. In the second embodiment, the same or equivalent configurations as those in the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, descriptions that overlap with those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

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. In the second embodiment, when the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or higher than the first threshold value, or when the power consumption of at least one of the plurality of devices 30 is equal to or higher than the second threshold value, a notification 70 is displayed on the display unit 34. This embodiment differs from Embodiment 1 in that .

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, so a description thereof will be omitted.

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. When the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, or when the power consumption of at least one of the multiple devices 30 is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, 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.

In the example of FIGS. 12A and 12B, when the power consumption of the battery 20 is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, a notification 71 is displayed indicating that the power consumption is increasing. The notice 71 also includes a suggestion 72 urging the user to connect the power source 50 to the battery 20.

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, when the button 73 is selected, a list 61 of multiple devices 30 arranged in descending order of power consumption can be displayed on the display unit 34.

13A-13B are schematic diagrams illustrating another example of the notification 70. In the example of FIG. 13A, a notification 71 is displayed in the notification 70 indicating that the power consumption of the device connected to the left connection port is increasing. Additionally, in the example of FIG. 13A, the notification 70 includes a suggestion 72 urging the user to remove the device attached to the left connection port.

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

Figure 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 Figure 14.

Further, on the notification setting screen 82 in the application window 60 shown in FIG. 14, it is possible to set whether or not to turn on the notification 70. 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 higher than the first threshold.

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 a plurality of thresholds that are set individually 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 to the power consumption of the battery 20, but the power consumption as the 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 notification setting screen 84 displayed in the window 60 can be used to set whether or not to turn on the notification 70 for each device 30. That is, the notification 70 can be set to on or off for each of the multiple devices 30. When the notification 70 is turned off for a certain device 30, the notification 70 for that device 30 is not displayed even if the power consumption ratio of that device 30 is equal to or higher than the second threshold.

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

For example, the process starts when the electronic device 10 starts up. Control unit 40 determines whether battery 20 is connected to power source 50 in step S21. If battery 20 is connected to power source 50, the process ends. If the battery 20 is not connected to the power source 50, the process advances to step S22.

In step S22, the control unit 40 obtains 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.

In step S221, 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. 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 for the past few minutes up to the time of acquisition. Alternatively, the power consumption of the battery 20 may be the power consumption amount.

Next, in step S222, the control unit 40 obtains the power consumption of each device 30. The control unit 40 can obtain the power consumption of each device 30 based on the current current or voltage value of each device 30, for example. 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 past several minutes of instantaneous values up to the time of acquisition. Alternatively, the power consumption of the battery 20 may be the power consumption amount. At this time, the control unit 40 may calculate the power consumption ratio of each device 30 to the power consumption of the battery 20. The power consumption of each device 30 is acquired, and the power consumption acquisition process ends.

Returning to FIG. 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.

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 value. The first threshold value is set to 30W in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. The control unit 40 compares the power consumption of the battery 20 obtained in step S221 with the first threshold value, and determines whether the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. If the power consumption of the battery 20 is 30W or more, the process advances to step S232. If the power consumption of the battery 20 is less than 30W, the process advances to step S234.

In step S232, the control unit 40 determines whether the notification setting is turned on. As shown in FIG. 14, in the notification setting screen 82, if the notification setting is turned on, the process advances to step S233, and if the notification setting is turned off, the process advances to step S234.

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

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 in FIG. 15, the power consumption ratio of each device 30 to the power consumption of the battery 20 is used in the determination in step S232. The control unit 40 compares the power consumption ratio of each device 30 with the second threshold or greater 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 among the devices 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 among the devices 30 is less than the second threshold, the notification display process ends.

In step S235, the control unit 40 determines whether the notification setting is turned on. In the notification setting screen 84 shown in FIG. 15, if the notification setting is turned on, the process advances to step S236, and if the notification setting is turned off, the process ends.

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

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

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

Electronic device 10 according to this embodiment includes a battery 20, a plurality of devices 30, a display section 34, and a control section 40. The battery 20 supplies driving power to the electronic device 10. The plurality of devices 30 are driven by drive power from the battery 20. The display unit 34 displays information regarding 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 the battery 20 and the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices 30 when the battery 20 is not connected to the power source 50. The control unit 40 sends a notification 70 to the display unit 34 when the power consumption of the battery 20 is greater than or equal to the first threshold, or when the power consumption of at least one of the plurality of devices 30 is greater than or equal to the second threshold. indicate.

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

The control unit 40 may display a notification 70 including a suggestion to connect the battery 20 to a power source on the display unit 34 when the power consumption of the battery 20 is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

With this configuration, if the electronic device 10 is not being charged and a power-intensive operation is being performed or a power-intensive device is connected, the user can be notified in advance that the remaining charge in the battery 20 may drop significantly. Upon receiving the notification, the user can take action such as charging the battery 20. Alternatively, it is possible to prevent the electronic device 10 from suddenly shutting down due to insufficient remaining charge in the battery 20.

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

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

The notification 70 may include a setting screen 84 for an operation to reduce the power consumption of the device 30 that is equal to or higher than the second threshold.

With such a configuration, the user can easily perform operations from the notification 70.

The second threshold value may include a plurality of threshold values that are individually set for each of the plurality of devices 30.

With such a configuration, a threshold value can be set for each device 30 according to the user's preference, improving convenience for the user.

The control unit 40 may control turning on or off the notification 70 for each of the plurality of devices 30.

With this configuration, the user can choose whether or not to send notifications for each device 30.

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

Such a configuration allows the user to easily access information regarding the power consumption of the electronic device 10.

(Overview of the embodiment)
(1) An electronic device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a battery that supplies driving power to the electronic device, a plurality of devices that are powered by driving power from the battery, a display unit that displays information related to the battery and the plurality of devices, and a control unit that controls the battery, the plurality of devices, and the display unit, wherein the control unit obtains 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, and when a device included in the list is selected, displays on the display unit suggested operations for the device to reduce power consumption of the electronic device.

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

(3) In the electronic device of (1) or (2), when a device included in the list is selected, the control unit may display a settings screen for operating the device on the display unit. .

(4) In any one of the electronic devices (1) to (3), the control unit may obtain the usage status of the user using the electronic device and change the order of the list based on the usage status. good.

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

(6) In any one of the electronic devices (1) to (5), the control unit obtains the usage status of the user who uses the electronic device, and controls the device used by the user based on the usage status. You can exclude it from the list.

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

(8) In any one of the electronic devices (1) to (7), the control unit classifies the plurality of devices into a first group to which devices whose power consumption is equal to or higher than a first threshold value and a first group whose power consumption is equal to or higher than a first threshold value belong. A second group to which devices with a value greater than or equal to a second threshold smaller than the first threshold belongs, and a plurality of devices are classified into a schematic diagram of an electronic device displayed on a display unit. Each group may be displayed in a different color.

(9) In the electronic device of (8), when the device displayed in the schematic diagram is selected, the control unit displays on the display unit a suggestion for operating the device to reduce power consumption of the electronic device. You may.

(10) In the electronic device of (8) or (9), when the device displayed in the schematic diagram is selected, the control section displays a setting screen for operating the device on the display section. Good too.

(11) An electronic device according to another aspect of the present disclosure is an electronic device, and includes a battery that supplies driving power to the electronic device, a plurality of devices driven by the driving power from the battery, and a battery and a plurality of devices. a display unit that displays information about the battery; a control unit that controls the battery, the plurality of devices, and the display unit; , and obtain the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices, and display if the battery power consumption is greater than or equal to the first threshold, or if the power consumption of at least one of the plurality of devices is greater than or equal to the second threshold. Display a notification in the section.

(12) In the electronic device of (11), the control unit may display on the display unit a notification including a suggestion to connect the battery to a power source when the power consumption of the battery is equal to or higher than a first threshold. .

(13) In the electronic device according to (11) or (12), 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 determines whether the power consumption is equal to or greater than the second threshold. A notification including a suggestion for operating the device may be displayed on the display unit.

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

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

(16) In any one of the electronic devices (11) to (15), the control unit may control turning on or off of notification for each of the plurality of devices.

(17) In any one of the electronic devices (11) to (16), when the notification is selected, the control unit displays a list of multiple devices arranged in descending order of power consumption on the display unit. Good too.

The present disclosure can be applied to electronic devices powered by a battery, such as a laptop PC, a tablet PC, or a smartphone.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Electronic device 20 Battery 30 Device 31 Input device 32 Output device 33 Storage device 34 Display unit 40 Control unit 50 Power supply 60 Window 61 List 62 Schematic diagram 63a Proposal 63b Setting screen 70 Notification 72 Proposal 73 Button 74 Setting screen 81 Setting screen 83 Setting screen 84 Setting screen

Claims (17)

An electronic device,
a battery that supplies driving power to the electronic device;
a plurality of devices driven by drive power from the battery;
a display unit that displays information regarding 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 includes:
Obtain the power consumption of each of the plurality of devices,
displaying a list of the plurality of devices arranged based on power consumption on the display unit;
when a device included in the list is selected, displaying on the display unit a suggestion for an operation for the device to reduce power consumption of the electronic device;
Electronics. The control unit arranges the devices included in the list in descending order of power consumption.
2. The electronic device according to claim 1. When a device included in the list is selected, the control unit displays a setting screen for operating the device on the display unit.
The electronic device according to claim 1. The control unit obtains usage status of a user who uses the electronic device, and changes the order of the list based on the usage status.
The electronic device according to claim 1. The control unit changes the order of devices used by the user in the list to a lower order based on the usage status.
The electronic device according to claim 4. The control unit obtains usage status of a user who uses the electronic device, and excludes a device used by the user from the list based on the usage status.
The electronic device according to claim 1. The control unit excludes from the list, among the plurality of devices, devices whose power consumption is smaller than a predetermined threshold.
The electronic device according to claim 1. The control unit includes:
The plurality of devices are divided into 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 and less than the first threshold belong to. categorized into multiple groups including and,
displaying the plurality of devices in different colors for each group on a schematic diagram of the electronic device displayed on the display unit;
The electronic device according to claim 1. When a device displayed in the schematic diagram is selected, the control unit displays, on the display unit, a suggestion for operating the device to reduce power consumption of the electronic device.
The electronic device according to claim 8. When a device displayed in the schematic diagram is selected, the control unit displays a setting screen for operating the device on the display unit.
The electronic device according to claim 9. An electronic device,
a battery for supplying 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 devices, and the display unit;
Equipped with
The control unit is
obtaining 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;
Electronics. The control unit displays the notification including a suggestion to connect the battery to a power source on the display unit when the power consumption of the battery is equal to or higher than the first threshold value.
The electronic device according to claim 11. 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 sends the notification including a proposal for an operation for the device whose power consumption is equal to or greater than the second threshold. displayed on the display,
The electronic device according to claim 11. 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.
14. The electronic device according to claim 13. The second threshold includes a plurality of thresholds individually set for each of the plurality of devices,
The electronic device according to claim 11. The control unit controls turning on or off notifications for each of the plurality of devices.
The electronic device according to claim 11. The control unit displays a list of the plurality of devices arranged in descending order of power consumption on the display unit when the notification is selected.
The electronic device according to claim 11.

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