Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Computer power control – Power conservation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-22
2003-08-26
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2185)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Computer power control
Power conservation
C713S340000, C713S324000, C713S330000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06611917
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for saving the battery of, for example, a game machine for home use, as well as to a portable game machine.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable game machine having a function of monitoring and managing power consumption of a battery in order to diminish the frequency of replacement of the battery.
2. Related Art
In a game machine, memory (ROM or RAM) incorporated in the game machine or memory (cassette ROM) provided within a game cassette is accessed in accordance with the execution progress of a game, thereby reading data from or writing data into the memory.
At the time of access to memory, an address specified by an address signal is accessed. In order to enable access to a desired address, an address signal is switched at each access timing. In a common game machine, an address signal is switched in internal memory in completely the same manner as in external memory.
Data are written or read in response to a write or read signal. In a common game machine, a read signal and a write signal are input to internal memory in completely the same manner as for external memory.
Switching of an address signal involves consumption of a battery. If an address signal is switched in external memory even at the time of access to internal memory, which would originally be accessed independently, battery power is wasted.
If a write signal is input not only to internal memory but also to external memory at the time of data being written into the internal memory (in a case where an address signal represents an address of internal memory), data to be written into the internal memory would be transmitted to the external memory, thereby resulting in a problem of generation of unwanted data (garbage).
Most current portable game machines are activated by dry cells, such as alkaline dry cells or manganese dry cells. Power is supplied to the game machine from the dry cells while the player is playing a game. When the player terminates the play of the game, power supplied from the cells is stopped.
In a portable game machine, ability to resume a game is secured. Even when a game is temporarily suspended and the power of the game machine is turned off, the game can be resumed from where the player had left off.
In order to ensure such an ability to continue a game, a voltage is continuously applied to a CPU or memory of the portable game machine at all times. To this end, in addition to having a drive battery used when the player plays a game, such as alkaline dry cells or manganese dry cells, the game machine is further equipped with a dedicated battery, such as a coin-type battery.
Most current and widely-accepted portable game machines are equipped with a function other than a game, such as a clock function. The reason why such an additional function, like a clock function, remains properly activated even while the power of the game machine is turned off is that the function is appropriately controlled by means of the dedicated battery, such as a coin-type battery, even when the power of the game machine is turned off.
As mentioned above, the current portable game machine has a drive battery for providing high power for activating a liquid crystal display device or a speaker during the play of a game, and a control battery for providing lower power for the CPU or the additional function while the game machine remains deactivated. Manganese dry cells or alkaline dry cells are employed as a typical drive battery, and a coin-type battery, such as a mercury battery or a lithium battery, is employed as a typical control battery.
Under such circumstances, the battery poses a problem in terms of its life. A voltage is continuously applied to the CPU and memory of the portable game machine in order to ensure the ability to continue a game, and power is continuously applied in order to control the additional function, such as a clock function. As a result, the battery becomes depleted more and more, so that the battery must be replaced frequently.
However, replacement of a battery, particularly a coin-type battery, involves troublesome labor. Further, the coin-type battery is more expensive than manganese or alkaline dry cells. Therefore, the number of times a battery is to be replaced is desirably minimized.
In contrast, if the player has great concern about only power saving and has continuously used a battery which is incapable of supplying a voltage sufficient for controlling the game machine, a difficulty is encountered in reliably supplying an appropriate amount of power at an appropriate voltage, so that the player may encounter a serious trouble problem such a loss of scores which have been achieved thus far.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conceived in view of the problem, and the foregoing object of the present invention is to provide a game machine capable of saving power of a battery thereof by elimination of unwanted switching between address signals, as well as to provide an access control method for use with the game machine.
To this end, the present invention provides a technique related to a game machine which exchanges (sends/receives) data with the outside in accordance with the execution progress of a game. The technique is characterized in that the an address signal is switched only at the time of access to the outside, thereby outputting a read signal or a write signal. In general, a request for access to external memory is made less frequently than is a request for access to internal memory. Therefore, if the present invention is applied to such a game machine, a highly advantageous effect is considered to be yielded.
More specifically, the following inventions are provided:
(A) A game machine which sends/receives data according to the execution progress of a game, comprising:
an access control circuit which controls access made by a the control circuit.
(B) The game machine as defined in (A), wherein the access control circuit varies a control signal by changing the access signal when the control circuit makes access to another circuit; i.e., a circuit other than the control circuit.
(C) A game machine which sends/receives data according to the execution progress of a game, comprising:
an access control circuit including
a latch circuit which latches an access signal, changes the access signal and outputs the thus-changed access signal when the control circuit accesses another circuit; i.e., a circuit other than the control circuit, and holds the access signal and outputs the thus-held access signal in a case other than the case where the control circuit accesses another circuit; and
a control signal output circuit which outputs a desired control signal when the control circuit accesses another circuit; i.e., a circuit other than the control circuit.
(D) An access control method for use with a game machine which sends/receives data according to the execution progress of a game, the method comprising a step of:
varying an access signal by changing a control signal only when a control circuit accesses another circuit; i.e., a circuit other than the control circuit.
In the game machine of the present invention as described in (A) through (D), a control signal is changed by means of switching an access signal at the time of a control circuit accessing another circuit; i.e., a circuit other than the control circuit. Accordingly, needless switching between access signals is eliminated, thus saving power of the battery of the game machine and preventing generation of garbage, to thereby effect efficient processing.
Since there can be diminished the number of times switching between address signals is effected, the present invention yields an advantage of the ability to diminish undesired radiation of electromagnetic radio waves or noise.
Definition of Terms
<Device>
A term “game machine” signifies a game machine for home use or a portable game machine.
Throughout the specification, a term “access control circuit” signifies a circuit “w
Lee Thomas
Playmore Corporation
Trujillo James K.
LandOfFree
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