JP2000295328A - Folding portable telephone set and its battery level displaying method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To confirm the residual power level of a battery with a simple operation and also to reduce power consumption. SOLUTION: The residual power level of a battery is made to be confirmed by the lighted state of a LED 6 when a telephone set body is folded by setting a battery level display switching mode to 'on' before folding the telephone set main body, and it is confirmed by the display of a liquid crystal indicator when it is opened. Also, when the telephone set body is folded, the residual power level of the battery is made to be confirmed only by the lighted state of the LED 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a foldable portable telephone suitable for displaying a remaining battery level and a method of displaying the battery level.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The remaining battery level of a portable telephone is indicated by the number of bars and the like on a liquid crystal (LCD) display section for displaying various information relating to a call. In some cases, a light-emitting element for indicating the remaining battery level is separately provided, and the light-emitting element is turned on to display the light.

In the case of simply displaying the remaining battery level by lighting a light emitting diode, it is difficult to determine the remaining battery level.

Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-27119
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 3 (1993), a light emitting element indicates that the remaining battery level is minimum.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the remaining battery level is simultaneously displayed by the display section for displaying various information related to the call and the light emitting element for displaying the battery level. . For this reason,
Since power is consumed by the display unit and the light emitting element, there is a problem that power consumption is accelerated.

In addition, since the light emitting element simply indicates that the remaining battery level is the minimum, it is necessary to check the display contents on the display unit in order to check the current remaining battery level. .

In this case, in particular, in the case of a foldable portable telephone, since it is necessary to open the telephone body and check the display contents on the display unit, complexity remains in terms of operability.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and a foldable mobile phone capable of confirming a remaining battery level with a simple operation and reducing power consumption. An object of the present invention is to provide a telephone and a battery level display method thereof.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a foldable portable telephone, comprising: display means for displaying various information; battery level detection means for detecting a remaining battery level; A light emitting element to be displayed, open / closed state detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the telephone body, and control for switching the display of the remaining battery level by the display means or the light emitting element according to the result of detection of the open / closed state by the open / closed state detecting means. Means. The control means displays the remaining battery level only on the light emitting element side when the closed state of the telephone body is detected, and displays the remaining battery level only on the display means side when the open state of the telephone body is detected. It can be controlled to display the quantity level. Further, a plurality of light emitting elements are provided according to the remaining battery level, and the control means can select a light emitting element corresponding to the remaining battery level and control the display operation.
Further, the light emitting element has a plurality of light emitting colors according to the remaining battery level, and the control means controls the display operation by selecting the light emitting color of the light emitting element according to the remaining battery level. You can do so. Further, the control means can switch the display of the remaining battery level by the display means or the light emitting element in accordance with the operation of a button switch for setting the display switching mode of the remaining battery level of the battery. In addition, the control means can display the remaining battery level by the display means and the light emitting element even when the telephone body is open by operating the button switch. 8. The battery level display method for a foldable mobile phone according to claim 7, wherein a first step of displaying various information on a display means, a second step of detecting a remaining battery level, and a remaining battery level. In the light emitting element, a fourth step of detecting the open / closed state of the telephone body, and switching the display of the remaining battery level by the display means or the light emitting element according to the result of detection of the open / closed state. And a fifth step. The fifth step includes displaying the remaining battery level only on the light emitting element side when the closed state of the telephone body is detected, and displaying the remaining state of the battery on the display means side when the open state of the telephone body is detected. Only the step of displaying the remaining battery level may be included. In addition, the fifth step may include a step of selecting and displaying a plurality of light emitting elements provided according to the remaining battery level. In the fifth step,
The method may include a step of selecting and displaying a light emitting element having a plurality of light emitting colors according to the remaining battery level. Further, the fifth step includes a sixth step of switching the display of the remaining battery level by the display means or the light emitting element according to the operation of setting the display switching mode of the remaining battery level of the battery. be able to. The sixth step includes a step of displaying the remaining battery level by the display means and the light emitting element even when the operation of setting the display switching mode is performed and the telephone body is in the open state. Can be made. In the foldable mobile phone and the battery level display method according to the present invention, the control means switches the display of the remaining battery level by the display means or the light emitting element according to the result of detection of the open / closed state by the open / closed state detection means. To do.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a foldable portable telephone according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the foldable portable telephone shown in FIG. FIGS. 3 and 3 are perspective views showing the opened state of the foldable mobile phone of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the foldable mobile phone of FIG.

The foldable portable telephone shown in FIG. 1 has a button switch 1, an open / closed state detection circuit 2, a radio circuit 3, an antenna 4, a battery level detection circuit 5, an LED 6, and a control circuit 7.
It has.

The button switch 1 is operated when setting the battery level display switching mode. By this operation, when the telephone body is closed, the remaining battery level can be confirmed only by turning on the LED 6.

The open / close state detecting circuit 2 detects the open / close state of the telephone body. The wireless circuit 3 transmits and receives radio waves of a control channel via the antenna 4 and communicates with a base station.

The battery level detecting circuit 5 detects the remaining battery level. The LED 6 indicates the remaining battery level. A plurality of LEDs 6 are provided according to the remaining battery level. The control circuit 7 controls turning on / off of the LED 6.

The foldable portable telephone includes a first main body 12 and a second main body 13 as shown in FIGS. The first main body 12 and the second main body 13 are connected by a connecting portion 14 so as to be openable and closable.

The first main body 12 is provided with an antenna 4, a liquid crystal display 8 for visually displaying various information, and a receiver 9 for outputting the voice of the other party during a call. Second body 1
On the third side, there are provided various function button switches 1A including the above-mentioned button switch 1, the above-mentioned LED 6, a microphone 11 for inputting voice during a call or the like, and a sounder 10.

Next, the operation of the foldable portable telephone having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

First, with the telephone body opened, the power is turned on by operating a power button switch, which is one of the various function button switches 1A. At this time, the control circuit 5 starts operating and monitors which button switch of the various function button switches 1A has been pressed.

When a button switch other than the button switch 1 is pressed or the button switch 1 is not pressed, a change in the open / closed state by the open / closed state detection circuit 2 is monitored. If there is no change, the process returns to monitoring which button switch among the various function button switches 1A has been pressed.

When the button switch 1 of the various function button switches 1A is pressed (step 11), the liquid crystal display 8 displays a selection screen for setting the battery level display switching mode to "ON" or "OFF". Is displayed.

When "ON" is selected for the battery level display switching mode (step 12), the battery level display switching mode is set to "ON" (step 13).

When "OFF" is selected for the battery level display switching mode, the battery level display switching mode is set to "O".
FF "(step 14).

If there is a change in the detection of the open / closed state by the open / closed state detection circuit 2 (step 15), the current open / closed state is determined (step 16). If there is no change in the detection of the open / closed state by the open / closed state detection circuit 2, it is determined whether or not the button switch 1 for setting the battery level display switching mode, which is one of the various function button switches 1A, has been pressed. Return to (Step 11).

If the current state is the closed state, it is determined whether the battery level display switching mode is "ON" (step 17). If "ON", the remaining battery level is read from the battery level detection circuit 5, and the LED 6 is turned on to match the level read by the control circuit 7 (step 19).

In the first embodiment, the remaining battery level is displayed, for example, in three stages. In addition, LE
Three D6s are provided. Thus, one LED 6 can be turned on when the read remaining battery level is at level 1, two LEDs can be turned on at level 2, and three LEDs can be turned on at level 3.

The remaining battery level is periodically read out, and if it is different from the current level, the lighting control of the LED 6 at the latest level is performed. In the case of "OFF", it is determined whether or not the button switch 1 for setting the battery level display switching mode, which is one of the various function button switches 1A, has been pressed (step 11).
Return to

If the current state is the open state, it is determined whether the battery level display switching mode is "ON" (step 18). If “ON”, the currently lit LE
D6 is turned off, and the liquid crystal display 8 displays the remaining battery level (step 1A).

At this time, the remaining battery level is read from the battery level detecting circuit 5 and the remaining battery level is displayed on the liquid crystal display 8. The remaining battery level is periodically read out, and if different from the current level, the latest remaining battery level is displayed.

In the case of "OFF", it is determined whether or not the button switch 1 for setting the battery level display switching mode, which is one of the various function button switches 1A, has been pressed (step 11).

As described above, in the first embodiment, before folding the telephone body, the battery level display switching mode is set to "O".
By setting "N", the remaining battery level can be confirmed by the lighting state of the LED 6 when folded, and can be confirmed by the display on the liquid crystal display 8 when opened. Therefore, the user can always easily check the remaining battery level.

When the telephone body is folded, L
Since the remaining battery level can be confirmed in the lighting state of the ED 6, the power consumption can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the foldable portable telephone according to the present invention.

That is, when the telephone body is opened,
Since the remaining battery level is displayed only on the liquid crystal display 8, it cannot be confirmed during a call. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the LED 6 can be turned on even when the telephone body is opened. Thus, L
Since the ED 6 is at the mouth, it can be checked even during a call.

That is, with the telephone body opened, the power is turned on by operating the power button switch which is one of the various function button switches 1A.

When the power is turned on, the control circuit 7 starts operating, and monitors which of the various function button switches 1A has been pressed. When the button switch 1 for setting the battery level display switching mode is pressed (step 21), a selection screen for setting the battery level display switching mode to "ON" or "OFF" is displayed on the liquid crystal display 8. (Step 22).

When "ON" is selected, the battery level display switching mode is set to "ON" (step 2).
3). If "OFF" is selected, the battery level display switching mode is set to "OFF" (step 24).

Next, the battery level display switching mode is set to "O
N "is determined (step 25). In the case of “ON”, the remaining battery level is read from the battery level detection circuit 5, and the LED 6 is turned on in accordance with the level read by the control circuit 7. The lighting operation of the LED 6 is as described above. At this time, the remaining battery level is also displayed on the liquid crystal display 8 (step 26). In the case of "OFF", the remaining battery level is displayed only on the liquid crystal display 8 (step 27).

As described above, in the second embodiment, the remaining battery level is displayed on the liquid crystal display 8 and the LED 6 with the telephone body opened, so that the Of the remaining battery level can be confirmed.

In each of the above embodiments, the LED 6
Is described in accordance with the remaining battery level, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and the LED 6 may be provided with a plurality of luminescent colors according to the remaining battery level.

[0041]

As described above, according to the foldable portable telephone and the battery level display method of the present invention, the control means uses the display means or the light emitting element in accordance with the result of detection of the open / closed state by the open / closed state detection means. Since the display of the remaining battery level is switched, the remaining battery level can be confirmed with a simple operation, and the power consumption can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a foldable mobile phone according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the foldable mobile phone shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an open state of the foldable mobile phone of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the foldable mobile phone in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the foldable mobile phone according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Button switch 1A Various function button switches 2 Open / closed state detection circuit 3 Radio circuit 4 Antenna 5 Battery level detection circuit 6 LED 7 Control circuit

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) H04M 1/02 H04B 7/26 109T F term (reference) 2G016 CA00 CB12 CC27 CE02 5G003 DA02 DA13 EA05 5K023 AA07 BB04 DD08 HH04 HH07 HH08 LL04 5K027 AA11 BB17 FF14 FF22 GG03 MM04 MM16 MM17 5K067 BB04 CC21 EE02 FF02 FF23 FF24 FF31 KK05

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A display means for displaying various information; a battery level detection means for detecting a remaining battery level; a light emitting element for displaying a remaining battery level; and an open / close state for detecting an open / close state of a telephone body. A foldable mobile phone comprising: a detection unit; and a control unit that switches a display of a remaining battery level by the display unit or the light emitting element according to a result of detection of the open / close state by the open / close state detection unit. . 2. The control means displays the remaining battery level only on the light emitting element side when the closed state of the telephone body is detected, and detects the open state of the telephone body when the closed state of the telephone body is detected. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls to display the remaining battery level only on the display unit.
A foldable mobile phone according to claim 1. 3. A plurality of light emitting elements are provided according to the remaining amount level of the battery, and the control means controls the display operation by selecting the light emitting element according to the remaining amount level of the battery. The foldable mobile phone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. The light-emitting device has a plurality of light-emitting colors according to a remaining battery level of the battery.
2. A display operation is controlled by selecting an emission color of the light emitting element according to a remaining level of the battery.
Or the foldable mobile phone according to 2. 5. The battery control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches the display of the remaining battery level by the display unit or the light emitting element in accordance with an operation of a button switch for setting a display switching mode of the remaining battery level. The foldable mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The control means according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the button switch allows the main body of the telephone to be in an open state.
The foldable mobile phone according to claim 5, wherein the display means and the light emitting element display a remaining battery level. 7. A first step of displaying various information on a display means, a second step of detecting a remaining battery level, and a third step of displaying a remaining battery level on a light emitting element. A fourth step of detecting the open / closed state of the telephone body; and a fifth step of switching the display of the remaining battery level by the display means or the light emitting element according to a result of the detection of the open / closed state. Characteristic method of displaying the battery level of a foldable mobile phone. 8. The fifth step includes: when the closed state of the telephone body is detected, displaying the remaining battery level only on the light emitting element side; and determining whether the open state of the telephone body is 8. A method for displaying a battery level of a foldable mobile phone according to claim 7, further comprising the step of: displaying a remaining battery level only on said display means side when detected. 9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the fifth step includes a step of selecting and displaying a plurality of the light emitting elements provided according to a remaining battery level of the battery.
Or the battery level display method of the foldable mobile phone according to 9. 10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the fifth step includes a step of selecting and displaying the light-emitting elements having a plurality of light-emitting colors according to a remaining battery level of the battery. Item 10. The method for displaying a battery level of a foldable mobile phone according to item 7 or 9. 11. The method of claim 5, further comprising: switching a display of the remaining battery level by the display means or the light emitting element in accordance with an operation of setting a display switching mode of the remaining battery level of the battery. The method for displaying a battery level of a foldable portable telephone according to any one of claims 7 to 10, further comprising a step. 12. The remaining battery level by the display means and the light emitting element in the sixth step, even when the display switching mode is operated or the telephone body is open. 12. The method for displaying a battery level of a foldable mobile phone according to claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying the following.