JP2008117424A - Information processing apparatus and method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program for the same, enabling reduction of power consumption. <P>SOLUTION: When an FET 2 is turned on, supply of a power Vcc to a sensor 3 is started, and a signal indicating a detection result is input from the sensor 3 to a GPI terminal 12 of an MCU 1. After the supply of power Vcc to the sensor 3 is started, the MCU 1 is turned to a sleep state, and the state is maintained until the sensor 3 outputs a normal detection result. When the sensor 3 starts outputting the normal detection result, the MCU 1 is restored upon interruption by a timer, and sampling is made for the output from the sensor 3. When sampling is performed, the supply of power Vcc to the sensor 3 is stopped with the MCU 1 turned to the sleep state. The invention is applicable to a portable-type information processing apparatus such as a mobile phone and a PDA. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing device and method, and a program, and more particularly, to an information processing device and method, and a program capable of suppressing power consumption.

  In recent years, mobile devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and mobile phones have become more sophisticated, and there are several sensors such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device), GPS (Global Positioning System) sensors, and fingerprint detection sensors. Some are installed.

  As described above, in a portable device in which various sensors are mounted, it is necessary to cover not only the power of the sensor itself but also the power of the microcomputer that performs sampling of the signal output from the sensor by a battery having a limited capacity. Therefore, power saving of each sensor and microcomputer is particularly required.

  Therefore, in order to suppress the power consumed by the sensor, a technique has been proposed in which the power supply to the sensor is stopped from the previous sampling to the next sampling.

  In order to reduce the power consumed by the microcomputer, the microcomputer may be put into a sleep state, which is a low power consumption state, by stopping the clock during each sampling of the signal output from the sensor. Proposed.

In Patent Document 1, a standby control circuit for controlling on / off of the sensor power supply is provided separately from the CPU (Central Processing Unit), and the sensor is intermittently operated by the standby control circuit to suppress the power consumption of the sensor. Technology is disclosed. In addition, a technique is disclosed in which a CPU circuit other than a circuit that detects an input signal is placed in a standby state depending on the situation so that power consumed by the CPU can be suppressed.
JP 2000-88605 A

  However, when the sensor is operated intermittently, some sensor types cannot output a normal detection result for a while after the start of power supply, and an incorrect value is obtained as a sampling result. There was a problem that it might be.

  In addition, when returning the microcomputer state from the sleep state to the normal state, switching the state at high speed is possible because it takes time for the PLL (Phase Lock Loop) of the memory used by the microcomputer to stabilize. There was a problem that there were things that could not be done.

  Furthermore, when a sensor that needs to perform sampling at a short cycle is used, the load on the microcomputer increases, and naturally the power consumption of the microcomputer increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and makes it possible to suppress power consumption.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention measures a physical quantity based on detection results of a plurality of detection means for detecting a target physical quantity and one or more first detection means of the plurality of detection means, Control means for controlling the supply of power to the second detection means in accordance with the measurement result.

  The control means can further measure the physical quantity based on the detection result of the second detection means when the supply of power to the second detection means is started.

  The first detection means can be configured to consume less power than the second detection means.

  The control means can control power supply to the second detection means based on the priority of the second detection means set according to the measurement result of the physical quantity.

  The control means determines the situation in which it is placed from the detection result based on the first detection result, and a high priority is set for the second detection means that is highly required to operate under the determined situation. Thus, the priority of the second detection means can be set.

  The second detection means may include a first positioning means for performing outdoor positioning and a second positioning means for performing indoor positioning. In this case, when the control means determines that it is outdoors from the amount of ultraviolet rays measured based on the detection result by the first detection means, the second positioning is performed with respect to the first positioning means. A higher priority than the means is set, and the supply of power to the first and second positioning means is controlled so that only the positioning by the first positioning means is performed.

  The control means is configured such that the distance obtained by multiplying the speed measured based on the detection result by the first detection means and the positioning cycle by the first or second positioning means is the first or second distance. The supply of power to the first and second positioning means can be controlled so that the positioning is performed when the accuracy of the positioning by the positioning means is exceeded.

  The control means controls the power supply to the first positioning means so that the positioning by the first positioning means is performed when the change in humidity measured based on the detection result by the first detecting means is larger than a predetermined threshold. The supply can be controlled.

  The first detection unit may include a first measurement unit that measures illuminance and a second measurement unit that measures the amount of ultraviolet rays. In this case, the control means controls the power supply to the second measuring means so that the second measuring means measures the amount of ultraviolet rays when the first measuring means measures the illuminance equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. Control the supply.

  The time until the next measurement of the physical quantity is completed after the measurement of the physical quantity based on the detection result of one of the plurality of detection means by the control means is completed. Storage means for storing the waiting time for transition to the control means, and the control means further starts the supply of power to the third detection means and then measures the physical quantity based on the detection result by the third detection means. It is possible to repeat the processing to be performed and the processing of returning from the standby state after elapse of the standby time after the supply of power to the third detection unit is stopped and then the own state is changed to the standby state. .

  The control unit waits for the time until the normal detection result is obtained by the third detection unit after the supply of power to one of the plurality of detection units is started by the control unit. Storage means for storing as standby time for transition to the state, the control means further starts the supply of power to the third detection means, and then transitions its own state to the standby state, It is possible to return from the standby state after the elapse of time and measure the physical quantity based on the detection result by the third detection means.

  Storage means for storing data representing a physical quantity measured by the control means is further provided, and the control means further includes data representing a physical quantity of a predetermined amount when data representing the physical quantity is stored in the storage means by a predetermined amount. Can be supplied to other control means for performing a predetermined process.

  The information processing method of the present invention is an information processing method of an information processing apparatus including a plurality of detection means for detecting a target physical quantity, and a detection result by one or more first detection means among the plurality of detection means. And a control step for controlling the supply of power to the second detecting means in accordance with the physical quantity measurement result.

  The program according to the present invention is a program that is executed by a computer that controls an information processing apparatus including a plurality of detection units that detect a target physical quantity, and includes one or more first detection units among the plurality of detection units. A physical quantity is measured based on the detection result, and a control step for controlling the supply of power to the second detection means according to the physical quantity measurement result is included.

  In the information processing apparatus, method, and program of the present invention, the physical quantity is measured based on the detection result by one or more first detection means among the plurality of detection means, and the first measurement is performed according to the physical quantity measurement result. The supply of power to the second detection means is controlled.

  According to the present invention, power consumption can be suppressed.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

  The information processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, a portable apparatus (or part thereof) such as a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), or a small personal computer.

  The MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 1 is, for example, a one-chip microcomputer that develops an application prepared in advance in an internal RAM (Random Access Memory) and controls the overall operation of the information processing apparatus.

  The MCU 1 switches on / off (conductive / non-conductive) of the FET (Field Effect Transistor) 2 by a signal (Sensor Enable signal) output from the GPO (General Purpose Output) terminal 11 to control the supply of the power source Vcc to the sensor 3. To do. Further, the MCU 1 is supplied with the power source Vcc, and performs sampling (physical quantity measurement) of a signal (Sensor Output signal) input to the GPI (General Purpose Input) terminal 12 from the operating sensor 3.

  The FET 2 supplies power Vcc to the sensor 3 in accordance with a signal input from the MCU 1.

  The sensor 3 operates only while the power supply Vcc is supplied via the FET 2 and outputs a signal representing the detection result to the GPI terminal 12 of the MCU 1. The sensor 3 is, for example, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, an illuminance sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, a gyro sensor, and an acceleration sensor.

  The sensor 3 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) module, PHS (Personal Handy Phone) module, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11a, b, g and other wireless LAN (Local Area Network). ) Modules, communication modules such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) modules, display modules such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and imaging modules such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device). That is, any module that operates in a certain cycle may be used.

  In the information processing apparatus having such a configuration, the supply of power Vcc to the sensor 3 and the state of the MCU 1 itself are controlled in order to reduce power consumption.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of state transition between the MCU 1 and the sensor 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the state of the MCU 1 includes a Run state and a Sleep state, and the MCU 1 repeats these two states. That is, intermittent operation is performed.

  Here, the Run state refers to a state in which a prepared task is executed to control supply of power Vcc to the sensor 3 and the like.

  The sleep state is a state in which power consumption is lower than that in the run state. When in the Sleep state, it returns to the Run state by an interrupt from the timer set in the Run state.

  Note that the meaning of the Sleep state differs depending on the type of OS (Operating System) executed by the MCU 1 and includes the following two.

  For example, when the OS executed by the MCU 1 is a non-real-time OS, the sleep state means a state in which the execution of the program is stopped except for the minimum necessary input / output management, for example, by reducing the clock speed.

  In addition, when the OS executed by MCU1 is a real-time OS that guarantees that an event handler will be activated within a specified time when an event occurs, the Sleep state will interrupt one task being executed. means. Therefore, in this case, the return from the sleep state means a task wake process.

  When a real-time OS is used, as a result of one task being interrupted, other tasks can be executed, and the task with the lowest priority is instructed to transition to the sleep state similar to the case of a non-real-time OS By describing the code to be executed, when there is no task to be executed, transition to the sleep state is performed.

Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the MCU 1 that has started the state of Run # ₁ at time t ₁ turns on the FET 2 and starts supplying the power supply Vcc to the sensor 3.

At this time, the sensor 3 enters the Pre Power On state and starts outputting a signal representing the detection result. In FIG. 2, the time when the sensor 3 is in the Pre Power On state is time t ₁ , but strictly speaking, it is slightly later than time t ₁ .

  This “Pre Power On state” is a state before the Power On state in which a normal detection result can be output. The sensor 3 in this state can operate because the power supply Vcc is supplied, but cannot output a normal detection result.

Thus, MCU 1 until time t ₃ when the sensor 3 is adapted to output a normal detection result, after setting the timer and transitions its own state to the state of Sleep # 1. In Figure 2, at time t ₂ is the state of Sleep # 2 is started. Note that the value of the GPO terminal 11 is held in the state of Sleep # 1, and the power supply Vcc continues to be supplied to the sensor 3.

Due to the timer interrupt generated at time t ₃ , the MCU 1 returns to the state of Run # 2, and here, the output of the sensor 3 is sampled for the first time. That is, the output of the sensor 3 in the Pre Power On state is not sampled. After time t ₃ , the sensor 3 is in a power-on state, so that the MCU 1 can obtain a normal value by sampling.

After sampling the output of the sensor 3, MCU 1 is a FET2 and Off at time t _4, to stop the supply of power Vcc to the sensor 3. As a result, the sensor 3 enters the power off state and stops its operation.

  After stopping the operation of the sensor 3, the MCU 1 sets a timer, and again transitions its own state to the Sleep state.

Thus, MCU 1 is a state of Sleep # 2 from time t _5, Run # until time t ₆ to interruption by the timer which had been set when the second state occurs, the state is maintained. When it is time t _6, or more, such as, the state transitions from time t ₁ is repeated.

  Some sensors cannot output a normal detection result until a predetermined time elapses after the supply of the power source Vcc is started. In addition, by causing the MCU 1 to transition to the sleep state until a normal detection result is output, the power consumption of the MCU 1 can be suppressed by the time of the sleep state. Further, it is possible to prevent an erroneous value from being acquired by sampling.

In addition, since the operation of the sensor 3 is stopped immediately after a normal value is acquired by sampling (time t _{4 in} FIG. 2), the sensor 3 is compared with the case where the operation is continued until the next sampling. Power consumption can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since the power consumption of the entire apparatus can be suppressed, a battery having a smaller capacity can be used as a power source for the information processing apparatus even when the apparatus is operated for the same time. This leads to the downsizing of the apparatus main body as well as the cost reduction.

  The operation of the MCU 1 for reducing power consumption will be described in detail later with reference to a flowchart.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the MCU 1. At least a part of the functional units in FIG. 3 is realized by executing a predetermined program by the MCU 1.

  The power supply control unit 21 switches on / off of the FET 2 by a signal output from the GPO terminal 11 according to control by the state management unit 23 and controls supply of the power supply Vcc to the sensor 3.

  The timer unit 22 manages the timer, and causes the state management unit 23 to generate an interrupt when the time set by the state management unit 23 comes. In response to this interrupt, the state management unit 23 returns the state of the MCU 1 from the sleep state and performs subsequent processing.

  The state management unit 23 manages the state transition of the MCU 1. In addition, when the state of the MCU 1 is in the Run state, the state management unit 23 performs, for example, processing for setting a time for returning to the Run state next.

  The sampling unit 24 samples the signal (detection result of the sensor 3) output from the sensor 3 and input to the GPI terminal 12. Data obtained by sampling is output to, for example, another functional unit (not shown) and used for predetermined processing.

  Next, a series of operations of the MCU 1, the FET 2, and the sensor 3 of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG.

  In step S <b> 1, the MCU 1 turns on the FET 2 by the signal output from the GPO terminal 11 and starts supplying the power source Vcc to the sensor 3.

  After starting the supply of the power source Vcc to the sensor 3, the MCU 1 sets the time for returning to the Run state next in step S2, and proceeds to step S3 until the set timer becomes active (interrupt occurs). Up to sleep state. At this time, for example, the state of Sleep # 1 in FIG. 2 is started.

  On the other hand, the FET 2 that has received the signal from the MCU 1 output in step S 1 makes the source-drain conductive in step S 21 and supplies the power source Vcc to the sensor 3. The state in which the source and the drain are made conductive is held by a signal supplied from the MCU 1.

  The sensor 3 starts the operation in step S31 to which the power source Vcc is supplied (turns on the power source), and starts outputting the detection result to the MCU 1 in step S32. The detection result output here is not a normal detection result because it is output in the Pre Power On state of FIG. 2 immediately after the operation is started. The MCU 1 does not sample the detection result.

Output by the sensor 3 (the output of the detection result is not normal) is repeated in a predetermined cycle, when it becomes possible to output a normal detection result in step S33 (the Power On state at time t ₃ in FIG. 2 The first time sampling is performed by MCU1.

  That is, in step S4, the MCU 1 returns from the sleep state in response to the set timer becoming active (for example, the state of Run # 2 in FIG. 2), and proceeds to step S5. The output detection result is sampled.

  After sampling the normal detection result supplied from the sensor 3, the MCU 1 turns off the FET 2 in step S6 and stops the supply of the power source Vcc to the sensor 3.

  Further, the MCU 1 sets a timer in step S7, proceeds to step S8, and enters the sleep state again. Thereby, MCU1 will be in the state of Sleep # 2 of FIG. 2, for example, until a timer becomes Active.

  On the other hand, the FET 2 that has received the signal from the MCU 1 makes the source and drain non-conductive in step S22 and stops the supply of the power source Vcc to the sensor 3.

  In step S34 where the supply of the power source Vcc is stopped, the sensor 3 stops its operation. As a result, the sensor 3 is, for example, in the Power Off state of FIG. 2 until the next power supply Vcc is supplied.

  By repeating the above processing by the MCU 1, the FET 2, and the sensor 3, the intermittent operation of the MCU 1 and the sensor 3 is realized, and the power consumption of the MCU 1 and the sensor 3 is suppressed.

  Next, the operation of the MCU 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing executed by the MCU 1 in the Run state.

  In step S41, the state management unit 23 of the MCU 1 determines whether or not the managed flag is clear. This flag indicates that the power source of the sensor 3 is On when the setting is set, and indicates that the power source of the sensor 3 is Off when the setting is clear.

  In step S41, when it is determined that the flag is clear (the power of the sensor 3 is Off), the state management unit 23 proceeds to step S42 and turns on the power of the sensor 3. That is, the state management unit 23 controls the power supply control unit 21 to output a signal indicating that the FET 2 is turned on from the GPO terminal 11.

  In step S43, the state management unit 23 sets a flag, proceeds to step S44, and sets a time for generating an interrupt. After setting the timer, in step S45, the state management unit 23 sets the state of the MCU 1 to the Sleep state. When the process of FIG. 6 performed when an interrupt occurs and the process returns to the state before entering the Sleep state, the processes after Step S41 are repeated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S41 that the flag is not clear (the sensor 3 is powered on and the flag is set), the process proceeds to step S46, and the state management unit 23 clears the flag. For example, when sampling is performed in the process of FIG. 6 (to be described later) (the process of step S63) and then the process returns to the process of FIG. 5, it is determined in step S41 that the flag is not clear.

  In step S47, the state management unit 23 sets a timer, proceeds to step S45, and enters the sleep state.

  Next, processing of the MCU 1 realized by executing the interrupt handler will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S61, when an interrupt from the timer unit 22 occurs, the state management unit 23 activates the state of the MCU 1 from the sleep state, and determines whether or not the flag is set in step S62.

  If the state management unit 23 determines in step S62 that the flag is not set, it skips the processing of steps S63 and S64 described later, and returns in step S65. Thereby, the process of FIG. 5 is started after that.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S62 that the flag is set, the process proceeds to step S63, and the state management unit 23 causes the sampling unit 24 to sample the detection result by the sensor 3. Since the interrupt in step S61 is set to occur at a time when the sensor 3 outputs a normal detection result, a normal value is acquired depending on the sampling here.

  In step S <b> 64, the state management unit 23 controls the power supply control unit 21 to output a signal indicating that the FET 2 is turned off, and stops the supply of the power supply Vcc to the sensor 3. Thereafter, the state management unit 23 proceeds to step S65, and returns the state of the MCU 1 from the state in which the interrupt handler is being executed.

  In the above description, the power source Vcc is supplied to the sensor 3 until a normal detection result is output. However, depending on the type of sensor prepared as the sensor 3, for example, until the normal detection result is output. In some cases, the value of the normal detection result can be estimated from the detection result that is not normal.

  Therefore, in this case, when the output of the sensor 3 that is not a normal detection result is sampled a predetermined number of times and the value of the normal detection result can be estimated based on the sampling result, the normal detection result is actually Even before the output, the supply of the power source Vcc to the sensor 3 may be stopped.

  As a result, the time for supplying the power supply Vcc to the sensor 3 can be shortened as compared with the case where the power supply Vcc is continuously supplied until a normal detection result is actually output. That is, the power consumption of the sensor 3 can be suppressed.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the transition of humidity output by the humidity sensor.

  The horizontal axis in FIG. 7 represents time (seconds), and the vertical axis represents humidity (%). In the example of FIG. 7, a value is output (measured) every second.

  After the start of measurement (start of power supply), the humidity value in the vicinity of 50% continues to be output for the time from 1 second to 4 seconds, and the line connecting the output is a constant curve for 8 seconds thereafter. A value that takes is output. In addition, a substantially constant value is output after 8 seconds from the start of measurement.

  Here, assuming that the value in the vicinity of 95% humidity after 8 seconds from the start of measurement is a normal value, the sampling results performed after 5 seconds, 6 seconds, and 7 seconds from the start of power supply, and the humidity sensor From the characteristics, a normal value output after 8 seconds is estimated. For example, when the sampling after 7 seconds is finished, the supply of the power source Vcc to the humidity sensor is stopped.

  As a result, the power consumption of the humidity sensor can be reduced by one second compared to the case where the power is continuously supplied until eight seconds later.

  Naturally, in addition to the humidity sensor, a sensor having an output characteristic such as a temperature sensor that can estimate the value of the normal detection result from the result of sampling performed until the normal detection result is output. If so, it is possible to apply such power supply control to any sensor.

  FIG. 8 shows the state of the MCU 1 and the sensor 3 (sensors having output characteristics that allow the value of the normal detection result to be estimated from the result of sampling performed until the normal detection result is output). It is a figure which shows the example of a transition.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the MCU 1 performs an intermittent operation, and the state transitions are Run # 1, Sleep # 1, Run # 2, Sleep # 2, Run # 3, Sleep # 3,. It is carried out.

When the MCU 1 is in the state of Run # 1 started from time t ₁₁ , the power of the sensor 3 is turned on, and after setting the timer, the state of MCU 1 is changed to the state of Sleep # 1 at time t ₁₂ . Under the control of the MCU 1, the sensor 3 also becomes Power On status from time t _11.

When Run # 2 of the condition being initiated by an interrupt generated at time t _13, the transition MCU1 is a sampling of the output of the sensor 3, after the set timer, at time t _14, the state of Sleep # 2 Let The value obtained by sampling performed in the state of Run # 2 does not yet represent a normal value. Sampling results that are not normal values are temporarily stored in a buffer.

When Run # 3 of the condition being initiated by an interrupt generated at time t _15, MCU 1 performs sampling of the output of the sensor 3, and the sampling results obtained, the sampling had been stored in the buffer results, and, A value of a normal detection result is estimated based on the characteristics of the sensor 3. That is, in the example of FIG. 8, the value of a normal detection result is estimated from the sampling results of two times performed in the state of Run # 2 and in the state of Run # 3.

When estimation of normal detection results has ended, MCU1 is a power sensor 3 and Off, after a set of timers, at time t _17, shifts the state of MCU1 to the state of Sleep # 3. On the other hand, according to the control of the MCU 1, operation of the sensor 3 is also stopped from time t ₁₆ (becomes Power Off state).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the effect when the states of the MCU 1 and the sensor 3 are changed as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 9, the upper part represents the state transition of the sensor 3 in FIG. 2, and the lower part represents the state transition of the sensor 3 in FIG. 8. The time on the horizontal axis in FIG. 9 is based on the time in FIG.

As shown in the upper part of FIG. 9, depending on the state transition of FIG. 2, the power supply Vcc is supplied to the sensor 3 from time t ₁ to time t ₄ , whereas as shown in the lower part of FIG. Depending on the state transition, power is supplied to the sensor 3 from time t ₁ to time t ₁₆ (FIG. 8) before time t ₄ .

That is, only time minute from the time t ₁₆ to time t _4, the time the power supply Vcc is supplied to the sensor 3 is shortened. In FIG. 9, the time from time t ₁ to time t ₆ corresponds to the time from time t ₁₁ to time t ₁₈ in FIG. 8, and the time from time t ₁ to time t ₁₆ in FIG. It corresponds to the time from the time t ₁₁ to time t _16.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 8, when the value of the normal detection result is estimated from the sampling results so far and the supply of the power supply Vcc to the sensor 3 is stopped, the power consumption of the sensor 3 can be suppressed, but FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the number of times the MCU 1 is activated is increased (the time in the Run state is longer) than when the sensor 3 is in the sleep state until it outputs a normal value.

  Therefore, in the state transition of FIG. 8, the power consumption that can be suppressed by shortening the time during which the power supply Vcc is supplied to the sensor 3 is larger than the power consumption that is increased by increasing the run time of the MCU1. It may be performed only when the following relationship is satisfied.

  (A−b) * c ≧ d * e

Here, “a” is the total power consumption when the MCU 1 is in the Run state when the state transition of FIG. 2 is performed. That is, “a” is a time obtained by adding the time of Run # 1 state (t ₂ −t ₁ ) and the time of Run # 2 state (t ₅ −t ₃ ) in FIG. It is a value obtained by multiplying the power consumption at the time.

“B” is the total power consumption in the sleep state of the MCU 1 when the state transition of FIG. 2 is performed. That is, “b” is the time obtained by adding the sleep time of the MCU 1 in FIG. 2 (t ₃ -t ₂ ) and the sleep time of the time # 2 (t ₆ -t ₅ ) to the sleep state of the MCU 1. It is a value obtained by multiplying the power consumption at the time.

“C” is the run time of the MCU 1 that is longer when the state transition of FIG. 8 is performed than when the state transition of FIG. 2 is performed. That is, “c” is the time of the state of Run # 1 (t ₁₂ −t ₁₁ ), the time of the state of Run # 2 (t ₁₄ −t ₁₃ ), and the time of the state of Run # 3 (t _17). This is a value obtained by subtracting the time (t ₂ -t ₁ ) in the state of Run # ₁ and the time (t ₅ -t ₃ ) in the state of Run # 2 from the time obtained by adding -t ₁₅ ).

  “D” is the power consumption of the sensor 3.

“E” is the supply time of the power supply Vcc to the sensor 3 that is shorter when the state transition of FIG. 8 is performed than when the state transition of FIG. 2 is performed. That is, “e” is the time from time t ₁₆ to time t ₄ in FIG.

  By causing the MCU 1 and the sensor 3 to perform the state transition of FIG. 8 only when such a relationship is satisfied, the power consumption of the entire apparatus can be reliably suppressed. Moreover, the value of a normal detection result can be acquired by estimation.

  FIG. 10 is another block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the MCU 1. The same components as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The overlapping description will be omitted as appropriate.

  The estimation unit 31 acquires the sampling result of the output of the sensor 3 supplied from the sampling unit 24 and stores it in a buffer (not shown). For example, when a plurality of sampling results are acquired, the estimation unit 31 estimates the value of a normal detection result based on the acquired sampling results and the characteristics of the sensor 3. When the value of the normal detection result can be estimated, the estimation unit 31 outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21.

For example, when the value of a normal detection result is estimated from two sampling results, the first and second sampling times are set to time t ₁ , time t ₂ (t ₂ > t ₁ ), and first time, respectively. , The value obtained by the second sampling is the value y ₁ , the value y ₂ (y ₂ > y ₁ ), the value of the normal detection result (estimated value) is the value y, and the normal detection result is output. The estimated value y can be obtained from the following equation, where time t ₃ is the time until and time d is the offset.

y = (y ₂ −y ₁ ) / (t ₂ −t ₁ ) * t ₃ + d

  Similarly, an estimation algorithm is determined according to the characteristics of the sensor 3 and prepared in the estimation unit 31.

  In addition, when the estimation part 31 can estimate the value of a normal detection result based on the sampling result of 1 time and the characteristic of the sensor 3, naturally, it is not necessary to make the sampling part 24 perform sampling of multiple times. . In this case, when sampling is performed once, supply of the power source Vcc to the sensor 3 is stopped, and the state of the MCU 1 transitions to the Sleep state.

  Next, the processing of the MCU 1 that controls the supply of the power source Vcc to the sensor 3 by the state transition of FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 81, the state management unit 23 (FIG. 10) of the MCU 1 controls the power supply control unit 21 to start supplying the power supply Vcc to the sensor 3.

  In step S82, the state management unit 23 sets the interrupt time, proceeds to step S83, and changes the state of the MCU 1 to the sleep state. As a result, the state of the MCU 1 becomes the state of Sleep # 1 through the state of Run # 1 in FIG. 8, for example.

  When the interruption occurs and the state before returning to the sleep state is restored, the sampling unit 24 samples the output of the sensor 3 in accordance with the control from the state management unit 23 in step S84. The result of sampling by the sampling unit 24 is output to the estimation unit 31.

  In step S85, the estimation unit 31 acquires the sampling result supplied from the sampling unit 24 and stores it in a buffer (not shown).

  In step S86, the state management unit 23 sets the interrupt time, proceeds to step S87, and changes the state of the MCU 1 to the sleep state. As a result, the state of the MCU 1 becomes the state of Sleep # 2 through the state of Run # 2 in FIG. 8, for example.

  The process of steps S88 to S91 is the same as the process of steps S84 to S87. That is, in step S88, the output of the sensor 3 is sampled by the sampling unit 24, the process proceeds to step S89, and the sampling result is stored in the buffer by the estimation unit 31. In step S90, a timer is set, and the process proceeds to step S91, where the state of the MCU 1 transitions to the Sleep state.

  The processing of steps S88 to S91 is repeated until a sampling result sufficient to estimate the value of the normal detection result including the result of the sampling performed in step S92 is obtained.

  In step S <b> 92, the sampling unit 24 samples the output of the sensor 3 in accordance with the control from the state management unit 23 and supplies the sampling result to the estimation unit 31.

  In step S93, the estimation unit 31 stores the result of the sampling performed by the sampling unit 24 in the buffer.

  In step S94, the estimation unit 31 estimates the value of the normal detection result from the sampling result stored in the buffer and the characteristics of the sensor 3, and when the estimation is successful, sends a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit. To 21.

  In step S95, the power supply control unit 21 outputs a signal for turning off the FET 2 from the GPO terminal 11, and stops the supply of the power supply Vcc to the sensor 3.

  In step S96, the state management unit 23 sets a timer, proceeds to step S97, and changes the state of the MCU 1 to the Sleep state. Thereby, the state of the MCU 1 becomes, for example, the state of Sleep # 3 through the state of Run # 3 in FIG. Thereafter, when an interrupt occurs and the processing for executing the interrupt handler as shown in FIG. 6 is completed, the processing after step S81 in FIG. 11 is repeated.

  Through the processing as described above, it is possible to further shorten the time for which the power source Vcc is supplied to the sensor 3.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

  The MCU 1 in FIG. 12 includes a GPS module 51 and a PHS module 52 that are sensors for detecting the position of the information processing apparatus, a gyro (gyro compass) 53 for detecting a direction, an acceleration sensor 54 for detecting acceleration, and a humidity for detecting humidity. A sensor 55, an illuminance sensor 56 for detecting illuminance, and an ultraviolet sensor 57 for detecting the amount of ultraviolet rays are connected. When it is not necessary to distinguish each of the GPS module 51 to the ultraviolet sensor 57, they are collectively referred to as a sensor.

  Each of the GPS module 51 to the ultraviolet sensor 57 is connected to an FET (not shown) that controls the supply of the power source Vcc to each sensor. When the FET is turned on / off by the MCU 1, the supply of the power source Vcc to each sensor is controlled.

  The MCU 1 in FIG. 12 is basically the same as the MCU 1 in FIG. That is, on / off of FET connected to each sensor is switched by a signal output from the GPO terminal, and a detection result is acquired from a signal output from each sensor and input to the GPI terminal.

  In the information processing apparatus having such a configuration, the status of the information processing apparatus is detected and detected by the MCU 1 based on the output from one or more of the GPS module 51 to the ultraviolet sensor 57. Under such circumstances, the supply of power Vcc to other sensors (sensors with low priority) that are less likely to be operated is stopped.

  For example, a sensor with high power consumption is set as a sensor with a lower priority, and the supply of the power source Vcc to each sensor is controlled.

  As a result, the power supply Vcc is supplied to the sensor with low power consumption for a relatively long time in order to detect the situation, but it is necessary to operate the sensor with high power consumption. As a result, the power consumption of the entire apparatus can be suppressed.

  FIG. 13 shows an example of state transition when the situation is detected based on the outputs of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 and the supply of the power source Vcc to the GPS module 51 that consumes more power than the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 is controlled. FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 13, the power supply Vcc is supplied to the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 used for detecting the situation together with the Run / Sleep of the MCU 1. Therefore, when the state is the power on state, the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 are supplied with signals representing the direction and the acceleration, respectively, to the MCU 1.

  The MCU 1 supplies the power source Vcc to the GPS module 51 only when it is determined that the user having the information processing apparatus is moving at a certain speed based on the direction and acceleration acquired by sampling in the Run state. Supply.

  That is, here, the detected situation is whether or not the information processing apparatus is moving at a certain speed.

  When the user who has the information processing apparatus is not moving, the position detected by the GPS module 51 does not change, so that it is not necessary to operate the user. By controlling the supply of the power supply Vcc to the GPS module 51 in this way, the power consumption of the GPS module 51 can be suppressed compared to the case where the power supply Vcc is supplied to the GPS module 51 even when there is little need to operate. Can do.

In Run # 1 state starting from the time t _21, MCU 1 performs sampling of the output of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54, calculates the moving speed of the user with the information processing apparatus. Further, based on the calculation result, for example, when it is determined that the vehicle is moving only at a speed less than a certain threshold, the MCU 1 stops the supply of the power source Vcc to the GPS module 51.

In response to this, GPS module 51 that worked until then, for example, stops its operation at time t _22.

MCU1, after stopping the supply of power Vcc to the GPS module 51, sets a timer, the MCU1 own state, to transition from time t ₂₃ to the state of Sleep # 1.

The MCU 1 restored by the interrupt generated at the time t ₂₄ has the information processing device in the Run # 2 state based on the sampling results of the outputs of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54, as in the Run # 1 state. Calculate the movement speed of the user you have.

  For example, when it is determined that the vehicle is moving at a speed equal to or higher than a certain threshold based on the calculation result, the MCU 1 starts supplying the power supply Vcc to the GPS module 51.

In response to this, the GPS module 51 that has been in the Power Off state until then restarts its operation at time t ₂₅ , for example.

  After starting the supply of the power source Vcc to the GPS module 51, the MCU 1 performs positioning based on the signal output from the GPS module 51, sets a timer as appropriate, and changes the MCU 1 itself state to the Sleep state.

  The power consumption of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 is about 1.2 mW (total of about 2.4 mW), whereas the power consumption of the GPS module 51 is about 413 mW. Therefore, by causing the state transition of FIG. 13 to be performed, it is possible to shorten the operation time of the sensor that requires power 150 times or more and suppress the power consumption of the entire information processing apparatus.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the MCU 1 of FIG. The same components as those in FIGS. 3 and 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The overlapping description will be omitted as appropriate.

  The power supply control unit 21 switches on / off of FETs connected to the GPS module 51 to the ultraviolet sensor 57, and controls the supply of the power supply Vcc to each sensor.

  The sampling unit 24 samples the output of the operating sensor among the GPS module 51 to the ultraviolet sensor 57 and outputs the sampling result to the situation detection unit 71 as necessary.

  The situation detection unit 71 detects the situation (speed of movement) in which the information processing apparatus is placed based on the sampling results of the outputs of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 supplied from the sampling unit 24, for example. In addition, the situation detection unit 71 controls the power supply control unit 21 to control the supply of the power source Vcc to each sensor according to the detected situation.

  Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 15, the situation is detected based on the outputs from the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54, and the power supply Vcc is supplied to the GPS module 51 which is a low priority sensor under the detected situation. A process of the controlling MCU 1 will be described.

  In step S <b> 111, the sampling unit 24 (FIG. 14) of the MCU 1 samples the outputs of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 and outputs the sampling result to the situation detection unit 71.

  In step S112, the situation detection unit 71 calculates the moving speed (speed, direction) of the information processing apparatus based on the sampling result supplied from the sampling unit 24, and proceeds to step S113, where it is almost not moving. That is, it is determined whether or not the calculated speed is less than a predetermined threshold value.

  If it is determined in step S113 that the information processing apparatus has hardly moved, the situation detection unit 71 outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21 and proceeds to step S114.

  In step S114, the power supply control unit 21 stops the supply of the power supply Vcc to the GPS module 51 that is the sensor to be controlled. Thereafter, the processing after step S116 is performed. As a result, the operation of the GPS module 51 serving as a sensor having a low priority is stopped in a situation where the robot is hardly moving.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S113 that the information processing apparatus is moving at a speed equal to or higher than the threshold, the situation detection unit 71 outputs a signal indicating that to the state management unit 23, and proceeds to step S115.

  In step S115, the state management unit 23 determines whether or not the flag is clear, and if it is determined that the flag is not clear (the power of the GPS module 51 is on and the flag is set), The process proceeds to S116.

  In step S116, the state management unit 23 clears the flag, proceeds to step S117, and sets a timer.

  After setting the timer, the state management unit 23 proceeds to step S118 and changes the state of the MCU 1 itself to the Sleep state. After the interrupt is generated and the process of FIG. 6 for executing the interrupt handler is performed, the processes after step S111 are repeated.

  In step S115, when the state management unit 23 determines that the flag is clear (the power supply of the GPS module 51 is Off), the process proceeds to step S119, where the power control unit 21 is controlled to supply power to the GPS module 51. Start supplying Vcc.

  That is, when the information processing apparatus is operating at a speed equal to or higher than the threshold and the power supply Vcc is not supplied to the GPS module 51, supply of the power supply Vcc is started here. Under the condition of moving at a certain speed, the GPS module 51 is a sensor having a high priority.

  In step S120, the state management unit 23 sets a flag, proceeds to step S121, and sets a timer. After setting the timer, the process proceeds to step S118, where the state management unit 23 changes the state of the MCU 1 itself to the Sleep state.

  With the processing as described above, the power supply Vcc is supplied to the GPS module 51 only when the information processing apparatus is moving at a certain speed.

  For example, assuming that the positioning accuracy of the GPS module 51 is 20 m, the movement distance of the information processing apparatus during the positioning cycle (the speed obtained from the outputs of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 and the positioning cycle of the GPS module 51 are multiplied). If the value does not exceed 20 m, the power Vcc is not supplied to the GPS module 51, and the power Vcc is supplied to the GPS module 51 for the first time when it exceeds 20 m.

  That is, depending on the situation of the information processing apparatus, not only the sensor to be operated changes, but also the sampling period changes. For example, when the user who has the information processing apparatus is moving by car, the sampling (positioning) of the output of the GPS module 51 is performed in a shorter cycle than when the user is moving on foot.

  As described above, the power consumption of the MCU 1 can be suppressed by changing the sampling period of the output of the sensor according to the situation.

  In the above description, the situation is detected based on the outputs from the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54, and the supply of the power source Vcc to the GPS module 51 is controlled. However, other than that, it is based on the outputs from other sensors. It is also possible to detect the situation and control the supply of the power source Vcc to the sensors other than the other sensors.

  For example, based on the outputs from the illuminance sensor 56 and the ultraviolet sensor 57, whether the information processing apparatus is indoor or outdoor is detected, and only when the information processing apparatus is detected outdoor is detected with respect to the GPS module 51. The power supply Vcc may be supplied.

  When the information processing apparatus is indoors, accurate positioning is often not possible with the GPS module 51. Therefore, by stopping the supply of the power source Vcc to the GPS module 51, the power consumption of the entire information processing apparatus can be suppressed. Can do. In this case, the illuminance sensor 56 and the ultraviolet sensor 57 operate, but the power consumption of both is significantly less than the power consumption of the GPS module 51.

  Next, the processing of the MCU 1 that detects the situation based on the outputs from the illuminance sensor 56 and the ultraviolet sensor 57 and controls the supply of the power supply Vcc to the GPS module 51 based on the detection result will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. To do.

  In step S <b> 131, the sampling unit 24 of the MCU 1 samples the output from the illuminance sensor 56 and outputs the sampling result to the situation detection unit 71.

  In step S132, the situation detection unit 71 calculates the illuminance based on the sampling result supplied from the sampling unit 24, and proceeds to step S133 to determine whether it is bright, that is, the calculated illuminance is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. It is determined whether or not.

  In step S133, when the situation detection unit 71 determines that the information processing apparatus is placed in a place darker than the brightness of the threshold, the situation detection unit 71 outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21, and proceeds to step S134.

  In step S134, when the power source Vcc is supplied to the ultraviolet sensor 57, the power source control unit 21 stops it.

  When the illuminance is relatively low, there is a high possibility that the information processing apparatus is indoors, and there is often no need to detect the amount of ultraviolet rays. Therefore, under such circumstances, the priority of the ultraviolet sensor 57 is low, and power consumption can be suppressed by stopping its operation.

  Thereafter, the processing returns to step S131, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S133 that the information processing apparatus is placed in a place brighter than the threshold value, the situation detection unit 71 outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21 and proceeds to step S135.

  In step S135, when the power source Vcc is not supplied to the ultraviolet sensor 57, the power source control unit 21 starts it. From the ultraviolet sensor 57, a signal representing the amount of detected ultraviolet light is supplied.

  In step S <b> 136, the sampling unit 24 samples the output of the ultraviolet sensor 57 and outputs the sampling result to the situation detection unit 71.

  In step S137, the situation detection unit 71 calculates the amount of ultraviolet rays based on the sampling result supplied from the sampling unit 24, and proceeds to step S138 to determine whether or not the amount of ultraviolet rays is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

  In step S138, when the situation detection unit 71 determines that the amount of ultraviolet rays is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the situation detection unit 71 recognizes that there is a high possibility that the information processing apparatus has been taken outdoors, and sends a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit. To 21.

  In step S139, the power supply control unit 21 starts intermittent operation of the GPS module 51 in response to a signal supplied from the situation detection unit 71, and performs positioning. When there is a high possibility of being taken out outdoors, the GPS module 51 becomes a high priority sensor, and its operation is started.

  As will be described later, the positioning by the GPS module 51 can also be performed while suppressing power consumption. The intermittent operation of the GPS module 51 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  After the intermittent operation of the GPS module 51 is started, the process returns to step S131, and the subsequent processes are repeated.

  On the other hand, in step S138, when the situation detection unit 71 determines that the amount of ultraviolet rays is less than the threshold value, the situation detection unit 71 recognizes that there is a high possibility that the information processing apparatus is indoors, and sends a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21. Output to.

  If the power supply Vcc is supplied to the GPS module 51 in step S140, the power supply control unit 21 stops it and repeats the processes in and after step S131.

  If it is detected that the vehicle is indoors, the PHS module 52 that is used exclusively as a positioning device with the GPS module 51 may be operated to perform positioning by the PHS module 52. The PHS module 52 is a sensor capable of positioning even when it is indoors. The GPS module 51 performs positioning when it is outdoors, and the PHS module 52 performs positioning when it is indoors. This makes it possible to perform positioning under any circumstances.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the intermittent operation of the GPS module 51 performed in step S139 of FIG.

At time t ₃₁ , the MCU 1 performs a cold start to start the current positioning without using the result of the previous positioning, and at time t ₃₂ when it is detected that the positioning bit is included in the output from the GPS module 51. Transition to Sleep state. This positioning bit is output when the GPS module 51 captures a satellite.

  In FIG. 17, when a time during which satellites cannot be captured continues for about 15 minutes, timeout (end of searching for satellites) is assumed.

  In addition to the set of timers, the supply of the power supply Vcc to the GPS module 51 is stopped and the satellite information captured by the GPS module 51 is saved before the transition to the sleep state. Performed by MCU1. The GPS module 51 enters a power off state in accordance with control by the MCU 1.

  When the satellite is acquired once and the information is stored, MCU1 can perform warm start and hot start to start positioning based on the stored satellite information etc. at the start of the next positioning. is there. Therefore, the MCU 1 intermittently operates the GPS module 51 at such a period as to start capturing before the time that can perform warm start and hot start elapses.

  In the example of FIG. 17, the GPS module 51 is intermittently operated at a cycle of 5 minutes. This 5 minutes is a time during which warm start and hot start can be performed.

Warm start, in the case of a hot start, it is possible to perform the positioning at an earlier timing as compared with the case of a cold start, MCU1 is, return by an interrupt generated from entering the Sleep state in the time t ₃₃ after a lapse of 5 minutes Then, the power supply Vcc is supplied to the GPS module 51. Further, the MCU 1 performs positioning based on the output from the GPS module 51, for example, between 1 second and 2 seconds.

  After the positioning is completed, after setting the timer, stopping the supply of the power supply Vcc to the GPS module 51, the MCU 1 enters the sleep state for a time during which warm start and hot start are possible. The GPS module 51 also enters the Power Off state according to the control by the MCU 1.

Such operation is repeated between time t ₃₅ the time t _36, between time t ₃₇ the time t _38, intermittent operation is performed by the MCU1 and GPS module 51. When it is time t _39, the same operation as from time t ₃₃ is repeated.

  By such a state transition, the operation time of the MCU 1 and the GPS module 51 can be shortened, and the return of the MCU 1 from the sleep state is performed before the warm start and hot start time has elapsed. Quick positioning after returning is also possible.

  Next, another process of the MCU 1 that detects the situation where the information processing apparatus is placed and controls the supply of the power supply Vcc to other sensors based on the detection result will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the process of FIG. 18, as well as the process of FIG. 16, the situation is detected not only based on the outputs of the illuminance sensor 56 and the ultraviolet sensor 57 but also based on the output of the humidity sensor 55. It is made like that.

  When humidity changes significantly, a user who has an information processing device moves from one room to the other, from outside the room, or from one room to another. It is highly possible that

  Therefore, when such a large change in humidity is detected, it is possible to perform positioning by checking once whether positioning by the GPS module 51 is possible, although positioning is possible. It can be prevented that it is not performed.

  The timer is periodically started, and in step S151, the sampling unit 24 in FIG. 14 samples the output of the humidity sensor 55 and outputs the sampling result to the situation detection unit 71.

  In step S152, the situation detection unit 71 calculates the humidity based on the sampling result supplied from the sampling unit 24, and proceeds to step S153. For example, the situation detection unit 71 is more than the threshold width compared to the previous humidity sampling. Determine whether the humidity has changed significantly.

  In step S153, if the situation detection unit 71 determines that the humidity has changed significantly, the situation detection unit 71 outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21, and proceeds to step S154.

  In step S154, if the power supply Vcc is not supplied to the GPS module 51, the power supply control unit 21 starts it. That is, when it is detected that the humidity has changed significantly, the GPS module 51 becomes a high priority sensor.

  The sampling unit 24 performs positioning based on the output of the GPS module 51. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S163 described later.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S153 that the humidity has not changed significantly, the situation detection unit 71 outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21 and proceeds to step S155.

  In step S <b> 155, the sampling unit 24 samples the output of the illuminance sensor 56 and outputs the sampling result to the situation detection unit 71.

  In step S156, the situation detection unit 71 calculates the illuminance based on the sampling result supplied from the sampling unit 24, and proceeds to step S157 to determine whether the brightness is bright, that is, the calculated illuminance is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. It is determined whether or not. If it is determined in step S157 that the calculated illuminance is not equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the process proceeds to step S163.

  If the situation detection unit 71 determines in step S157 that the information processing apparatus is placed in a place brighter than the threshold value, the situation detection unit 71 outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21, and proceeds to step S158.

  In step S158, if the power source Vcc is not supplied to the ultraviolet sensor 57, the power source control unit 21 starts it. As a result, a signal representing the amount of ultraviolet rays detected by the ultraviolet sensor 57 is supplied to the MCU 1.

  In step S 159, the sampling unit 24 samples the output of the ultraviolet sensor 57 and outputs the sampling result to the situation detection unit 71.

  In step S160, the situation detection unit 71 calculates the amount of ultraviolet rays based on the sampling result supplied from the sampling unit 24. When the calculation is completed, the process proceeds to step S161, where the power supply control unit 21 causes the ultraviolet sensor 57 to The supply of power Vcc to is stopped.

  In step S162, the situation detection unit 71 determines whether or not the amount of ultraviolet rays is greater than the threshold, and if it is determined that the amount is greater than the threshold, the situation detection unit 71 recognizes that there is a high possibility that the information processing apparatus is outdoors. The signal to represent is output to the power supply control part 21.

  In addition to the case where it is determined in step S162 that the amount of ultraviolet rays is greater than the threshold value, it is determined that positioning is performed in step S154 and that the information processing device is not placed in a place brighter than the threshold value in step S159. In such a case, the power supply control unit 21 starts an intermittent operation (for example, the operation of FIG. 17) of the GPS module 51 in step S163.

  Thereafter, the state management unit 23 sets a timer, enters a sleep state in step S164, and repeats the processing from step S151.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S162 that the amount of ultraviolet rays is less than the threshold value, the situation detection unit 71 recognizes that the information processing apparatus is likely to be indoors, and outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21. To do.

  If the power supply Vcc is supplied to the GPS module 51 in step S165, the power supply control unit 21 stops it, proceeds to step S164, and enters the sleep state.

  When a relatively large change in humidity is detected by the above processing, positioning by the GPS module 51 is performed once, and after the positioning is performed, positioning by intermittent operation as described with reference to FIG. Is done. As a result, positioning can be reliably performed by the GPS module 51 when the situation changes (when movement occurs) while suppressing power consumption.

  In the intermittent operation as shown in FIG. 17, when the sleep state is entered once, for example, the next positioning is not performed until 5 minutes later. In such a case, by performing positioning once, it is possible to prevent the positioning from being performed although the user having the information processing apparatus has moved.

  Note that the movement of the user who has the information processing apparatus can be detected based on the outputs of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 as described above. The power consumption is less than that of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 (the power consumption of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 is about 1.2 mW, whereas the power consumption of the humidity sensor 55 is about 0.7 mW).

  As described above, even when the same physical quantity is detected, priority may be set by the MCU 1 and the sensor to be operated may be selected so that a sensor with as little power consumption as possible is used.

  In the above, for example, the MCU 1 is intermittently operated together with the sensor. However, the MCU 1 develops the program in an external RAM, and executes the program at a higher speed than a one-chip unit incorporating the RAM or the like. If it is a high-performance unit that can do this, the clock speed of MCU1 and the clock speed of RAM are different, and it takes time to stabilize both clocks, so switching between Run state and Sleep state Cannot be performed at high speed.

  In addition, since such a high-performance MCU 1 consumes more power than a single-chip unit with built-in RAM or the like, the high-performance MCU 1 can be operated intermittently with a sensor and can be used only for sampling. Starting up is not preferable from the viewpoint of power saving.

  Therefore, for example, a one-chip unit that samples the sensor output may be prepared in the information processing apparatus separately from the high-performance MCU.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing still another configuration example of the information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

  The information processing apparatus in FIG. 19 includes a main MCU 81 and a sub MCU 82.

  The main MCU 81 expands a program stored in an externally provided ROM in an external RAM and executes it. Further, the Main MCU 81 acquires the sampling result of the output of the sensor 3 from the Sub MCU 82 at a predetermined timing, and performs a predetermined process using the sampling result.

  The Sub MCU 82 is, for example, a one-chip unit with a built-in RAM or the like. The Sub MCU 82 can switch between the Run state and the Sleep state at a higher speed than the Main MCU 81 and consumes less power. The Sub MCU 82 basically has the same function as the MCU 1 in FIG.

  That is, the Sub MCU 82 intermittently operates with the sensor 3 and controls the supply of the power supply Vcc to the sensor 3 by switching the FET 2 on / off by a signal output from the GPO terminal 91, and from the sensor 3 to the GPI terminal 12. The supplied signal is sampled.

  The sampling result by the Sub MCU 82 is stored in the buffer 93. When a predetermined amount of sampling result is stored by repeated sampling, the stored sampling result is collected from the Sub MCU 82 to the Main MCU 81 via the bus. Supplied.

  As a result, the Main MCU 81 does not need to return from the sleep state every time the output of the sensor 3 is sampled, but only returns when a certain amount of sampling results supplied from the Sub MCU 82 are acquired. It will be good. The Main MCU 81 consumes more power than the Sub MCU 82, and can reduce the power consumption of the entire device by shortening the operation time of the unit that consumes much power.

  Note that the sensor connected to the Sub MCU 82 is not limited to one sensor 3, and a plurality of sensors may be connected as shown in FIG. When a plurality of sensors are connected, the Sub MCU 82 detects the status of the information processing apparatus based on the output of a certain sensor, and controls the operation of the other sensors based on the detection result described above. Perform the following process.

  Here, the processing of the Sub MCU 82 of FIG. 19 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. In this example, it is assumed that a plurality of sensors as shown in FIG. Further, the Sub MCU 82 has each configuration shown in FIG.

  In step S <b> 201, the status detection unit 71 (FIG. 14) of the Sub MCU 82 monitors the sampling result of the output of the humidity sensor 55 supplied from the sampling unit 24.

  In step S202, the situation detection unit 71 determines whether or not the humidity has changed more than the threshold width. If the situation detection unit 71 determines that the humidity has changed significantly, the situation detection unit 71 proceeds to step S203 to indicate that the movement of the space has been detected. To the main MCU 81. The Main MCU 81 always performs only the minimum operation that can receive the notification from the Sub MCU 82.

  When the humidity changes greatly, there is a high possibility that the space in which the information processing apparatus is placed, such as the movement of the room, has occurred before and after the change. Accordingly, when it is necessary to perform a predetermined process in response to detection of movement, the Main MCU 81 returns from the sleep state and performs the process.

  When it is determined that the humidity has changed significantly, the situation detection unit 71 outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21, and when the power supply Vcc is not supplied, supplies the power supply Vcc to the illuminance sensor 56. Let it begin.

  In step S204, the situation detection unit 71 monitors the sampling result of the output of the illuminance sensor 56 supplied from the sampling unit 24, and proceeds to step S205 to determine whether the illuminance is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value a. Determine.

  When the situation detection unit 71 determines in step S205 that the illuminance is equal to or higher than the threshold value a, the situation detection unit 71 outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21, and when the power supply Vcc is not supplied, the ultraviolet sensor 57 is provided. Supply of power Vcc to is started.

  In step S206, the situation detection unit 71 monitors the sampling result of the output of the ultraviolet sensor 57 supplied from the sampling unit 24, and proceeds to step S207, where the amount of ultraviolet rays is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. Determine whether or not.

  If the state detection unit 71 determines in step S207 that the amount of ultraviolet rays is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the state detection unit 71 proceeds to step S208 and notifies the main MCU 81 that the information processing apparatus is likely to be taken outdoors.

  When it is necessary to perform a predetermined process according to being taken out outdoors, the Main MCU 81 returns from the sleep state and performs the process.

  In step S209, the situation detection unit 71 selects the GPS module 51 as a device for measuring the position of the information processing apparatus, and outputs a signal indicating that to the power supply control unit 21, whereby the power supply Vcc is not supplied. In this case, supply of the power source Vcc to the GPS module 51 is started.

  In step S210, the sampling unit 24 samples (positions) the output of the GPS module 51, proceeds to step S211, and stores data representing the positioning result in the buffer 93 (FIG. 19). When the information processing apparatus is taken outdoors, the processing of FIG. 20 is repeated, and data representing the history of positioning results is stored in the buffer 93.

  In step S212, the sampling unit 24 determines whether or not a certain amount of data (sampling result) is stored in the buffer 93. If it is determined that a certain amount of data is not stored, the sampling unit 24 ends the processing. Thereafter, the process of FIG. 20 is repeated at a predetermined cycle.

  If the sampling unit 24 determines in step S212 that a certain amount of data has been stored in the buffer 93, the sampling unit 24 proceeds to step S213, requests the Main MCU 81 to acquire the data stored in the buffer 93, and ends the processing. Let In response to this request, the Main MCU 81 returns from the sleep state, and acquires the data stored in the buffer 93 via the bus (step S234 in FIG. 24).

  On the other hand, if the situation detection unit 71 determines in step S202 that the humidity has not changed more than the threshold width, the process proceeds to step S214 (FIG. 21). When the power supply Vcc is not supplied, the situation detection unit 71 controls the power supply control unit 21 to start supplying the power supply Vcc to the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54.

  In step S214, the situation detection unit 71 monitors the speed obtained from the sampling results of the outputs of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54 supplied from the sampling unit 24, and proceeds to step S215, where the speed is determined in advance. It is determined whether or not the threshold value is exceeded.

  If it is determined in step S215 that the speed is not equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the situation detection unit 71 skips the processes in steps S216 and S217 and ends the process.

  If it is determined in step S215 that the speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the situation detection unit 71 proceeds to step S216, and determines whether the Main MCU 81 is active (whether it is not in the sleep state). Determine.

  If it is determined in step S216 that the Main MCU 81 is active, the situation detection unit 71 proceeds to step S217, and notifies the main MCU 81 of the speed obtained from the outputs of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54. Thereafter, the process is terminated.

  If the status detection unit 71 determines in step S216 that the Main MCU 81 is not active, the status detection unit 71 proceeds to step S211, stores data representing the speed in the buffer 93, and performs subsequent processing.

  As described above, when the sampling result is obtained, it is determined whether or not the Main MCU 81 is active. If it is determined that the main MCU 81 is active, the sampling result is immediately notified. Thus, it is possible to cause the Main MCU 81 to perform processing with high response to the sampling result.

  On the other hand, in step S205 (FIG. 20), when the situation detection unit 71 determines that the detected illuminance is not equal to or greater than the threshold value a as a result of monitoring the illuminance, the process proceeds to step S218 (FIG. 22).

  When it is determined in step S218 whether the detected illuminance is less than the threshold a and greater than or equal to the threshold b (the relationship between the thresholds a and b is a> b), and is determined to be less than the threshold a and greater than or equal to the threshold b In step S219, the sampling unit 24 is caused to sample the illuminance at a high speed.

  By converting the illuminance (on the time axis) obtained by high-speed sampling onto the frequency axis and detecting in which band the frequency with the highest sensitivity is present, the situation detection unit 71 places the information processing device. It can be determined whether the current situation is under sunlight or under fluorescent light.

  In step S220, the situation detection unit 71 determines whether the frequency with the highest sensitivity is 100 Hz or 120 Hz.

  Since lighting fixtures such as fluorescent lamps blink at a frequency twice as high as the household AC power supply frequency (50/60 Hz), the highest sensitivity frequency is 100 Hz or 120 Hz. That is, this means that the information processing apparatus is indoors. Further, when the frequency with the highest sensitivity is any other frequency, this indicates that the light source is the sun, that is, the information processing apparatus is being taken out outdoors.

  Therefore, in step S220, when the situation detection unit 71 determines that the highest frequency is not 100 Hz or 120 Hz, the situation detection unit 71 proceeds to step S208 and notifies the main MCU 81 that the information processing apparatus is being taken outdoors. Thereafter, the subsequent processing is performed.

  On the other hand, when the state detection unit 71 determines in step S220 that the frequency with the highest sensitivity is 100 Hz or 120 Hz, the situation detection unit 71 proceeds to step S221 and notifies the main MCU 81 that the information processing apparatus is indoors. Even when it is determined in step S207 in FIG. 20 that the amount of ultraviolet rays is less than the threshold, notification to the Main MCU 81 is performed in step S221.

  Note that the high-speed sampling of the illuminance performed in step S219 may be performed intermittently as shown in FIG. 23 when it is performed for a relatively long time.

In the example of FIG. 23, the time from time t ₅₁ to time t ₅₃ is 10 seconds. In this case, for example, the Sub MCU 82 performs high-speed sampling at 240 Hz only for one second from time t ₅₁ to time t ₅₂ , and determines whether the information processing apparatus is indoors or outdoors.

Further, Sub MCU 82 is, Sub MCU 82 itself Run state, it switches the On / Off of the power supply Vcc of the illuminance sensor 56 in accordance with the switching of the Sleep state, the time t ₅₂ after enters the Sleep state.

  Since the light source does not change so rapidly, it is possible to detect a change in the situation by such intermittent sampling. Also, during high-speed sampling, the processing load on the Sub MCU 82 increases and power consumption increases, so it is preferable that the time be as short as possible.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 22, after notifying the main MCU 81 that the information processing apparatus is indoors, in step S222, the situation detection unit 71 selects the PHS module 52 as a device for measuring the position of the information processing apparatus, and The power controller 21 is controlled to start supplying the power Vcc to the PHS module 52 when the power Vcc is not supplied. In addition, when the power supply Vcc is supplied to the GPS module 51, the situation detection unit 71 stops it.

  In step S223, the sampling unit 24 samples (positions) the output of the PHS module 52, proceeds to step S211, stores the positioning result in the buffer 93, and performs subsequent processing.

  In this way, the PHS module 52 is used as a positioning device when the information processing apparatus is indoors, and the GPS module 51 is used when the information processing apparatus is outdoors. Thus, accurate positioning becomes possible.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S218 that the detected illuminance is less than the threshold value b, the process proceeds to step S224, and the situation detection unit 71 obtains the sampling result of the output of the humidity sensor 55 supplied from the sampling unit 24. Monitor.

  In step S225, the situation detection unit 71 determines whether the humidity has changed more than the threshold width. If the situation detection unit 71 determines in step S225 that the humidity has changed significantly, the situation detection unit 71 proceeds to step S226, controls the power supply control unit 21 to supply the power supply Vcc to the GPS module 51, and performs positioning using the GPS module 51. To do.

  In step S227, based on the output of the sampling unit 24, the situation detection unit 71 determines whether a time-out has occurred, that is, whether the GPS module 51 has failed to capture a satellite.

  When it is determined in step S227 that the time-out has occurred, the situation detection unit 71 proceeds to step S221, notifies the main MCU 81 that the information processing apparatus is indoors, and conversely, the time-out has not occurred, that is, captured the satellite. If it is determined that the information has been successfully processed, the process proceeds to step S208 (FIG. 20) to notify the main MCU 81 that the information processing apparatus has been taken outdoors. Thereafter, the processing after step S221 or the processing after step S209 is performed.

  Next, processing performed by the Main MCU 81 corresponding to the processing of FIGS. 20 to 22 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S231, the main MCU 81 in the sleep state receives notification from the sub MCU 82 (for example, notification in steps S203 and S208 in FIG. 20, request in step S213).

  In step S232, the main MCU 81 determines whether or not the received notification is a request for acquiring a sampling result (request in step S213 in FIG. 20). Let

  On the other hand, when the Main MCU 81 determines in step S232 that the received notification is a request for acquiring the sampling result, the main MCU 81 proceeds to step S233 and returns from the sleep state.

  After returning from the Sleep state, in step S234, the Main MCU 81 acquires data representing the sampling result stored in the buffer 93 of the Sub MCU 82 via the bus, and performs predetermined processing based on the sampling result.

  As described above, the output of the sensor is sampled by the Sub MCU 82 with low power consumption, and the supply of the power source Vcc to the sensor is controlled based on the situation where the information processing apparatus is placed, and a certain amount of sampling results Are collectively provided to the Main MCU 81, the operation of the sensor according to the situation and the operation time of the Main MCU 81 with high power consumption can be shortened, and the power consumption of the entire apparatus can be suppressed.

  The configuration of FIG. 19 in which the Main MCU 81 and the Sub MCU 82 are prepared in one information processing apparatus may be used only when a sensor with a short sampling period is prepared as the sensor 3, for example. When a sensor having a long sampling period is prepared as the sensor 3, the main MCU 81 can also make a state transition in accordance with the sampling period.

  In the above description, when the information processing apparatus is indoors, the PHS module 52 is used as a positioning device. However, the positioning by the PHS module 52 is performed by, for example, the base station that transmits the radio wave received by the PHS module 52. It is performed based on information, and its accuracy is worse than the accuracy of positioning by the GPS module 51, and is about 400 m.

  Therefore, in this case, as in the case of the GPS module 51 (accuracy 20 m) described above, the movement distance of the information processing apparatus during the positioning cycle is determined based on the speed obtained from the outputs of the gyro 53 and the acceleration sensor 54. If the distance does not exceed 400 m, the power Vcc may not be supplied to the PHS module 52, and the power Vcc may be supplied to the PHS module 52 only when the distance exceeds 400 m.

  Of course, the PHS module 52 may be used outdoors. In this case, in order to operate only when accurate positioning is possible, when it is detected from the output of the gyro 53 or the acceleration sensor 54 that the vehicle is moving at a speed of, for example, 80 km / h or more, the PHS module 52 The supply of the power source Vcc may be stopped.

  As described above, controlling the operation of other sensors depending on the situation can be applied to the case of controlling the operation of various sensors other than those shown in FIG.

  For example, when acceleration equal to or greater than a threshold is detected from the output of the acceleration sensor 54, an image with less camera shake can be taken by controlling the operation of the CCD so as to increase the shutter speed of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). It becomes possible.

  On the other hand, when it is detected from the output of the acceleration sensor 54 that there is almost no movement, it is possible to secure a sufficient amount of light by controlling the operation of the CCD so as to reduce the shutter speed.

  Also, the state transitions of FIGS. 2 and 8 can be performed by the MCU 1 of FIG. 12 and the Sub MCU 82 of FIG.

  The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware, but can also be executed by software. In this case, the apparatus for executing the software is constituted by, for example, a personal computer as shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 25, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 executes various processes according to a program stored in the ROM 102 or a program loaded from the storage unit 108 to the RAM 103. The RAM 103 also stores data necessary for the CPU 101 to execute various processes as appropriate.

  The CPU 101, ROM 102, and RAM 103 are connected to each other via a bus 104. An input / output interface 105 is also connected to the bus 104.

  The input / output interface 105 includes an input unit 106 including a keyboard and a mouse, a display including an LCD, an output unit 107 including a speaker, a storage unit 108 including a hard disk, and communication processing via a network. A communication unit 109 is connected.

  A drive 110 is connected to the input / output interface 105 as necessary, and a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like is appropriately mounted, and a computer program read therefrom is stored as necessary. Installed in the unit 108.

  When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software may execute various functions by installing a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware or various programs. For example, it is installed from a network or a recording medium into a general-purpose personal computer or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the recording medium is distributed to provide a program to the user separately from the apparatus main body, and includes a magnetic disk (including a flexible disk) on which the program is recorded, an optical disk (CD- Removable media 111 composed of ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), magneto-optical disk (including MD (registered trademark) (Mini-Disk)), or semiconductor memory In addition, it is configured by a ROM 102 on which a program is recorded and a hard disk included in the storage unit 108 provided to the user in a state of being incorporated in the apparatus main body in advance.

  In the present specification, each step includes not only processing performed in time series according to the described order but also processing executed in parallel or individually, although not necessarily performed in time series.

  Further, in this specification, the system represents the entire apparatus composed of a plurality of apparatuses.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the information processing apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the example of the state transition of MCU and a sensor. It is a block diagram which shows the function structural example of MCU. It is a sequence diagram explaining a series of operation | movement of MCU, FET, and a sensor. It is a flowchart explaining the process of MCU performed in a Run state. It is a flowchart explaining the process of MCU implement | achieved by executing an interrupt handler. It is a figure which shows the example of the time change of the humidity which a humidity sensor outputs. It is a figure which shows the other example of the state transition of MCU and a sensor. It is a figure which shows the effect at the time of using the state transition of FIG. It is another block diagram which shows the function structural example of MCU. It is a flowchart explaining the process of MCU which estimates the normal value of a sensor. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of the information processing apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the example of a state transition of MCU, a gyroscope, an acceleration sensor, and a GPS module. It is a block diagram which shows the function structural example of MCU of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the process of MCU which detects a condition and controls supply of the power supply Vcc with respect to a sensor. It is a flowchart explaining the other process of MCU which detects a condition and controls supply of the power supply Vcc with respect to a sensor. It is a figure which shows the example of the intermittent operation | movement of a GPS module. 14 is a flowchart for explaining still another process of the MCU that detects the situation and controls the supply of the power supply Vcc to the sensor. FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating still another configuration example of the information processing apparatus to which the present invention has been applied. 20 is a flowchart for describing processing of the Sub MCU of FIG. FIG. 21 is a flowchart following FIG. 20 for explaining the processing of the Sub MCU of FIG. 19. FIG. 21 is another flowchart for explaining the processing of the Sub MCU in FIG. 19 following FIG. 20. It is a figure which shows the example of the intermittent operation | movement of an illumination intensity sensor. 20 is a flowchart for describing processing of the Main MCU in FIG. And FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a personal computer.

Explanation of symbols

  1 MCU, 2 FET, 3 sensor, 21 power control unit, 22 timer unit, 23 state management unit, 24 sampling unit, 31 estimation unit, 51 GPS module, 52 PHS module, 53 gyro, 54 acceleration sensor, 55 humidity sensor, 56 Illuminance sensor, 57 UV sensor, 71 Status detector, 81 Sub MCU, 82 Main MCU

Claims (14)

A plurality of detection means for detecting a target physical quantity;
The physical quantity is measured based on a detection result by one or more first detection means of the plurality of detection means, and the supply of power to the second detection means is controlled according to the measurement result of the physical quantity. An information processing apparatus comprising: a control unit. 2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the supply of power to the second detection unit is started, the control unit further measures the physical quantity based on a detection result of the second detection unit. The information processing apparatus described. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit consumes less power than the second detection unit. The control unit controls supply of power to the second detection unit based on a priority of the second detection unit set according to a measurement result of the physical quantity. The information processing apparatus described in 1. The control means determines the situation where the user is placed from the detection result based on the first detection result, and the second detection means having a high need to operate under the determined situation has high priority. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a priority of the second detection unit is set so as to be set. The second detection means includes a first positioning means for performing outdoor positioning, and a second positioning means for performing indoor positioning,
When the control means determines that it is outdoors from the amount of ultraviolet rays measured on the basis of the detection result by the first detection means, the control means performs the second positioning with respect to the first positioning means. 5. The power supply to the first and second positioning means is controlled such that a higher priority than the positioning means is set and only the positioning by the first positioning means is performed. 6. Information processing device. The control means is configured such that a distance obtained by multiplying a speed measured based on a detection result by the first detection means and a positioning cycle by the first or second positioning means is the first distance. The power supply to the first and second positioning means is controlled so that positioning is performed when the accuracy of each positioning by the second positioning means is exceeded. Information processing device. The control unit is configured to perform positioning by the first positioning unit when a change in humidity measured based on a detection result by the first detecting unit is greater than a predetermined threshold. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein supply of power to the means is controlled. The first detection means includes first measurement means for measuring illuminance, and second measurement means for measuring the amount of ultraviolet rays,
The control means supplies power to the second measuring means so that when the illuminance exceeding a predetermined threshold is measured by the first measuring means, the amount of ultraviolet rays is measured by the second measuring means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information supply apparatus is controlled. The time until the next measurement of the physical quantity is performed after the measurement of the physical quantity based on the detection result of the third detection means of one of the plurality of detection means by the control means is completed. Storage means for storing the waiting time for transitioning the means to the waiting state;
The control means further includes a process of measuring the physical quantity based on a detection result by the third detection means after starting the supply of power to the third detection means, and the third detection means 2. The information according to claim 1, wherein after the supply of power to the power supply is stopped, the state of its own is shifted to the standby state, and the process of returning from the standby state after the standby time has elapsed is repeated. Processing equipment. The time until the normal detection result is obtained by the third detection means after the supply of power to the third detection means of one of the plurality of detection means is started by the control means, A storage means for storing the control means as a standby time for transitioning to the standby state;
The control means further starts power supply to the third detection means, then transitions its own state to the standby state, returns from the standby state after the standby time elapses, and The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the physical quantity is measured based on a detection result by a third detection unit. Storage means for storing data representing the physical quantity measured by the control means;
The control means further supplies the data representing the physical quantity of the predetermined amount to other control means for performing a predetermined process when the data representing the physical quantity is stored in the storage means by a predetermined amount. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. In an information processing method of an information processing apparatus including a plurality of detection means for detecting a target physical quantity,
The physical quantity is measured based on a detection result by one or more first detection means of the plurality of detection means, and the supply of power to the second detection means is controlled according to the measurement result of the physical quantity. An information processing method comprising a control step. In a program to be executed by a computer that controls an information processing apparatus including a plurality of detection means for detecting a target physical quantity,
The physical quantity is measured based on a detection result by one or more first detection means of the plurality of detection means, and the supply of power to the second detection means is controlled according to the measurement result of the physical quantity. A program characterized by including a control step.

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