JPH0628267A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the information processor which is improved in the reliability of a resuming function and superior in practicability. CONSTITUTION:A main device is equipped with a CPU (saving means) 10, a semiconductor memory 11, a nonvolatile storage medium 12, a battery part (battery) 20, a battery state detecting circuit 21, a power circuit 22, a power switch 23. and a power source control circuit 24. When the power source is turned off by operating the power switch 23, the CPU 10 saves information on the process state at the time of the power-off operation in the semiconductor memory 11. The battery state detecting circuit 21 detects the output voltage value of the battery part 20 which drives the semiconductor memory 11 and when the detected value decreases below a specific value, the CPU 10 transfers the contents saved in the semiconductor memory 11 to the nonvolatile storage medium 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing device such as a personal computer having a resume function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, along with the miniaturization of personal computers (hereinafter referred to as "PC"), portable PCs have been developed. This portable PC is AC
A battery is installed inside the PC so that it can be used even when moving to a destination without a power supply.

By the way, in this portable PC, the internal state of the PC when the power is turned off is set so that the operation of activating the application software and the operation of reading necessary data every time the operator turns on the power can be omitted. CPU
It is known that a function (resume function) for temporarily saving the contents of the register and the memory of the semiconductor memory) to the semiconductor memory and restoring the contents of the semiconductor memory to the original contents by the power-on operation is known.

The resume function is usually realized by saving data in a semiconductor memory backed up by a battery.

[0005]

However, in a semiconductor memory backed up by a battery, when the remaining capacity of the battery becomes low and the voltage output to the semiconductor memory drops below a certain voltage, the contents of the memory are erased. .

Therefore, when the output voltage drops below a certain voltage, the power is not turned off even if the power is turned on thereafter, and the necessary data input up to that point are also erased. There was a problem that the resume function was not reliable.

If the battery is inadvertently removed for battery replacement during backup, the same problem as described above will occur.

On the other hand, it is conceivable to save data to a non-volatile storage medium such as a magnetic disk device, but since the access speed is considerably slower than that of a semiconductor memory, the data is stored in the non-volatile storage medium each time the power is turned off. If it was evacuated, access would take time and would be impractical.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to improve the reliability of the resume function.
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing device having excellent practicability.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a battery and a semiconductor memory driven by the output voltage of the battery. In an information processing device having a resume function of saving information in the semiconductor memory, a nonvolatile storage medium, a detection circuit for detecting an output voltage value of the battery, and a voltage value detected by the detection circuit are equal to or less than a predetermined value. And a saving means for saving the information on the processing state stored in the semiconductor memory to the nonvolatile storage medium when it is lowered.

[0011]

According to the present invention having such a configuration, when the power is turned off, the resume function saves the information on the processing state at the time of turning off the power in the semiconductor memory. The detection circuit detects the output voltage value of the battery that drives the semiconductor memory. When the voltage value detected by the detection circuit drops below a predetermined value, the saving means further saves the contents saved in the semiconductor memory to the nonvolatile storage medium. As a result, it is possible to prevent the information of the processing state when the power is turned off, which is saved in the semiconductor memory by the resume function, from being lost due to the decrease in the output voltage of the battery. Further, in the normal state where the output voltage value of the battery is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the battery is saved in the semiconductor memory having a relatively high access speed, which is excellent in practicality.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an embodiment of an information processing apparatus of the present invention.

The present apparatus comprises a main body 1 for performing information processing and the like,
It is composed of a power source side 2 for supplying power to the main body side 1. The main body side 1 includes a CPU 10 as a saving means, a semiconductor memory 11, and a non-volatile storage medium (for example, a hard disk device, a flash memory, etc.) 12, and a power source side 2 includes a battery section 20 as a battery and a battery state detection circuit. 21, a power supply circuit 22, a power switch 23, and a power supply control circuit 24.

Next, the details of each of the above parts will be described.

The power supply circuit 22 includes a first power supply line La for supplying the power from the battery section 20 to the main body side 1 only when the power switch 23 is in the on state, and the main body side 1 at all times.
The second power supply line Lb is being supplied to.
The semiconductor memory 1 on the main body side 1 is connected to the first power supply line La.
Circuits other than the circuit for backing up 1 are connected. A circuit and the like for backing up the semiconductor memory 11 on the main body side 1 is connected to the second power supply line Lb.

The battery section 20 includes a main battery (eg, 7.2V nominal) 20a that can be replaced by a user, and a sub-battery (eg, nominally 7.2V) that cannot be replaced by the user.
V) 20b. In addition, the battery unit 20
Supplies power to the battery state detection circuit 21 and the power supply control circuit 24 in addition to the main body side 1 and the power supply circuit 22 so that the battery state detection circuit 21 can always detect the output voltage of the battery unit 20. The circuit 24 enables the state of the power switch 23 to be constantly monitored. Also,
Normally, from the main battery 20a to the main body side 1 and each circuit 2
1, 22 and 24 are supplied with power, and the main battery 20
Power is supplied from the sub-battery 20b to the main body side 1 and each of the circuits 21, 22 and 24 only when a is removed.

The batteries 20a and 20b are connected to AC
It can be charged from a power source, and exhibits a characteristic that the output voltage drops as shown in FIG. 2 during a resume function operation described later when the power source is turned off after charging. This output voltage characteristic is, as shown in the figure, the same as in the first region E1 in which the output voltage sharply decreases, the second region E2 in which the output voltage gradually decreases, and the output voltage E1 as in the first region E1. Has a third region E3 in which the drop of R is rapid. Main battery 2
0a is about 1 when the resume function is operating when the power is off.
It has a life span of a week, and the sub-battery 20b
Is shorter than the main battery 20a and has a life of about several tens of minutes under the same conditions. "Power on / off"
Hereinafter, the term “on / off” of the first power supply line La from the power supply circuit 22 means.

The battery state detection circuit 21 detects the output voltage value of the battery section 20, and when the detected voltage value becomes equal to or lower than an allowable value (for example, 7.0 V) V1 (see FIG. 2), an alarm signal (Low). The battery interrupt signal) is transmitted to the power supply control circuit 24. As shown in FIG. 2, this allowable value V1 is a value belonging to the second region E2 in which the output voltage gradually decreases, and the contents of the semiconductor memory 11 are erased even if the second saving operation described later is performed. The value is set so that it does not decrease up to the limit voltage (eg 6.5V) V2. By setting the allowable value V1 to a value belonging to the second area E2, the detection operation can be surely performed.

The power switch 23 is for turning the power on / off by the operation of the operator.

The power supply control circuit 24 includes a battery section 20.
The power supply circuit 22 is turned on / off depending on whether the state is a normal state or an abnormal state. Hereinafter, the "normal state" means a state where the output voltage value exceeds the allowable value V1, and the "abnormal state" means a state where the output voltage value is the allowable value V1 or less.

The operation of the power supply control circuit 24 in the normal state includes the case where the power is off and the case where the power is on. Power switch 2 when the power is off
3 is turned on, and if it is not turned on, the check is continued. When the power switch 23 is turned on, the first power supply line La of the power supply circuit 22 is turned on and the backup flag is cleared. It has become. When the power is on, it is checked whether or not the power switch 23 is turned off. If not, the check is continued. When the power switch 23 is turned off, the power off request is issued to the CPU 10. Send
Based on the power-off command from the CPU 10, the power supply circuit 22
The first power supply line La is turned off.

Further, the power supply control circuit 24 in an abnormal state
When the alarm signal is received from the battery state detection circuit 21 when the power is off, it is determined whether the backup flag is set, and when the backup flag is not set, the power supply circuit 22 First power line La is temporarily turned on, a data save request is transmitted to the CPU 10, and when a power off command is issued from the CPU 10, the first power line La of the power circuit 22 is turned off to perform backup. It is supposed to set a flag. By setting the backup flag, the backup work is not performed again.

In addition to performing normal information processing, the CPU 10 controls the power supply control circuit 24 to realize a resume function. In order to realize a highly reliable resume function, the CPU 10 controls the power supply in a normal state. The first saving operation corresponding to the operation of the circuit 24, the second saving operation corresponding to the operation of the power supply control circuit 24 in the abnormal state, and the read operation of the saved information are performed.

The first save operation by the CPU 10 is C when the power-off request is transmitted from the power-supply control circuit 24.
The contents of registers in the PU 10 are saved in the semiconductor memory 11. When this first saving operation is completed,
A power-off command is transmitted to the power control circuit 24.

The second saving operation by the CPU 10 is performed when the data saving request is transmitted from the power supply control circuit 24.
From the semiconductor memory 11 backed up by the battery by the second power supply line Lb of the power supply circuit 22 to the CPU 10
Read the contents of the register in the nonvolatile storage medium 1
It will be further evacuated to 2. When the second saving operation is completed, a power off command is transmitted to the power control circuit 24.

The read operation by the CPU 10 determines whether or not the resume function is normally operating based on the turning on of the first power supply line La of the power supply circuit 22, and if not, the nonvolatile storage medium 12 is used. In the normal case, the information necessary for normally realizing the jum function is read from the semiconductor memory 11 and set in a register or the like in the CPU 10. Whether or not the resume function is operating normally is determined by, for example, whether or not the contents of the battery-backed semiconductor memory 11 are normal.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. Figure 3
Shows a flowchart when the state of the battery unit 20 is a normal state, and FIG. 4 shows a flowchart when the state of the battery unit 20 is an abnormal state. In addition, in FIG. 3 and FIG.
A and B indicate connection of steps.

First, the case where the battery unit 20 is in the normal state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the power source is off, the power source side 2
The power supply control circuit 24 checks whether the power switch 23 is turned on by the operator (S1), and if it is not turned on, continues the check. When the power switch 23 is turned on, The power supply line La of No. 1 is turned on (S2) and the backup flag is cleared (S3).

On the other hand, the main body side 1 is activated by turning on the first power supply line La in step S2 (S
4) The CPU 10 determines whether the resume function is operating normally (whether the content of the semiconductor memory 11 is normal) (S5). When the CPU 10 determines that the content of the semiconductor memory 11 is not normal, it reads the data from the nonvolatile storage medium 12 (S6) and CP
It is set in a register or the like in U10 (S7). This allows the processing work to be restarted. Also, the CPU 10
When it is determined that the content of the semiconductor memory 11 is normal, the data is read from the semiconductor memory 11 (S8), and the data is set in the register or the like in the CPU 10 (S7).
This allows the processing work to be restarted.

When the power is on, the power supply control circuit 24 on the power supply side 2 checks whether the power switch 23 has been turned off by the operator (S
9) If not turned off, the check is continued. When the power switch 23 is turned off, a power-off request is transmitted to the CPU 10 (S10).

The CPU 10 on the main body side 1 executes the step S
Based on the power-off request in 10, the contents of the registers in the CPU 10 are saved in the semiconductor memory 11 (first saving operation). This interrupts the processing work. CPU1
When the first saving operation is completed, 0 sends a power-off command to the power supply control circuit 24 (S12).

The power supply control circuit 24 on the power supply side 2 is the CPU 1
It is judged whether or not the power-off command is received from 0 (S1
3) If it is determined that the power-off command is received, the first power supply line La of the power supply circuit 22 is turned off (S1).
4).

Next, a case where the battery unit 20 is in an abnormal state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the power is off in step S14, the output voltage of the battery section 20 gradually decreases due to the operation of the resume function. The battery state detection circuit 21 constantly detects the output voltage value of the battery section 20 and, when the detected voltage value falls below the allowable value V1, sends an alarm signal (low battery interrupt signal) to the power supply control circuit 24. . The power supply control circuit 24 determines whether or not an alarm signal is received from the battery state detection circuit 21 (whether or not there is a Low Battery interrupt) (S15), and when the alarm signal is received, is the backup flag set? It is judged whether or not (S1
6) If the backup flag is not set, the first power supply line La from the power supply circuit 22 is temporarily turned on (S17) and a data save request is sent to the CPU 10 (S18). If the alarm signal is not received in step S15 and the backup flag is set in step S16 (reference B), the process proceeds to step S1 shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the main body side 1 is activated by turning on the first power supply line La in step S17 (S
19), the CPU 10 changes from the semiconductor memory 11 to the CPU 1
The contents of the register in 0 are read and saved in the non-volatile storage medium 12 (second saving operation) (S20). CPU
When the second evacuation operation is completed, the 10 sends a power off command to the power control circuit 24 (S21).

The power supply control circuit 24 on the power supply side 2 is the CPU 1
It is determined whether or not the power-off command from 0 is received (S2
2) If it is determined that the power off command is received, the first power line La from the power circuit 22 is turned off (S2).
3) The backup flag is set (S24) to prevent the backup work from being performed again. CPU10
Although the output voltage value of the battery unit 20 becomes lower than the allowable value V1 by the second saving operation of the semiconductor memory 11
The value does not decrease up to the limit voltage V2 at which the contents of is erased. After that, when the operator charges or replaces the charged main battery 20a (S25), the output voltage value of the battery unit 20 becomes a value close to the nominal value (7.2 V) and returns to the normal state. Operations after S1 are possible.

According to the information processing apparatus of the above-described embodiment, it is possible to prevent the information of the processing state when the power is turned off, which is saved in the semiconductor memory 11 by the resume function, from being lost due to the output voltage drop of the battery section 20. Therefore, the reliability of the resume function can be improved. Also, the battery unit 2
When the state of 0 is the normal state, the information of the processing state when the power is turned off is saved in the semiconductor memory 11 having a relatively high access speed, which is excellent in practicality. Further, even if the main battery 20a is accidentally removed during the backup, the sub battery 20b supplies power to the necessary circuits, so that the reliability of the resume function can be further improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment,
Various modifications can be made without changing the gist of the invention.
For example, the CPU 10 of the main body side 1 may implement the function of one of the battery state detection circuit 21 and the power supply control circuit 24 of the power supply side 2 or the function of both circuits 21 and 24 by firmware.

[0041]

According to the present invention described in detail above, when the output voltage value of the battery is in a normal state of a predetermined value or more, the information on the processing state at the time of power off is compared with the access speed based on the power off operation. When the output voltage value of the battery that drives the semiconductor memory drops below a predetermined value, it is further saved in the non-volatile storage medium, so the reliability of the resume function is improved. Moreover, it is possible to provide an information processing device having excellent practicality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an information processing device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing a voltage output characteristic of a battery unit in the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of this embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 CPU (Evacuation Means) 11 Semiconductor Memory 12 Nonvolatile Storage Medium 20 Battery Unit (Battery) 21 Battery State Detection Circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An information processing system comprising a battery and a semiconductor memory driven by the output voltage of the battery, and having a resume function for saving information on a processing state at the time of power-off to the semiconductor memory based on a power-off operation. In the device, a nonvolatile storage medium, a detection circuit for detecting the output voltage value of the battery, and the processing state information stored in the semiconductor memory when the voltage value detected by the detection circuit drops below a predetermined value. And an evacuation means for evacuating the non-volatile storage medium to the non-volatile storage medium.