JP2011061546A - Electronic equipment, control method thereof and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide electronic equipment configured to prevent an operator from feeling uncomfortable with operation noise of a cooling fan for suppressing temperature elevation of the electronic equipment, while maintaining a performance of the cooling fan. <P>SOLUTION: When it is determined by a detection means comprised of a light emitting part 18a and a light receiving part 18b that the head of a photographer gets closer, a temperature inside a digital camera is measured and when it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is higher than a predetermined value, a cooling fan 11 is operated in a low-speed mode. During the low-speed mode, the cooling fan 11 is operated with such low rotations that the photographer does not care of operation noise of the cooling fan 11 in a state in which the head of the photographer is closer to the digital camera. When it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is lower than or equal to the predetermined value, it is not necessary to operate the cooling fan 11, and hence the cooling fan 11 is stopped or its stopped state is maintained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera equipped with an air cooling fan for cooling, an electronic device such as a mobile phone, a control method thereof, and a program.

  In recent years, the need for miniaturization and high performance of electronic devices has not been declining. On the other hand, due to an increase in the volume of data to be processed and an increase in processing speed, the temperature rise of electronic components mounted on a circuit board has become very high. An increase in the temperature of the electronic component not only causes a malfunction of the electronic component, but also leads to an increase in the temperature of the electronic device body in a small electronic device, which may cause discomfort to the user.

  Therefore, a proposal has been made to cool the heat generating part and the electronic device main body by providing an air cooling fan for cooling inside or outside the electronic device. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that an electronic camera that has an air cooling fan and that operates the air cooling fan to cool the inside of the electronic camera stops the air cooling fan during exposure. In this example, there is concern about vibration caused by the rotation of the air cooling fan, and an object is to suppress the occurrence of image blur.

JP-A-11-177858

  By the way, in a small electronic device such as a digital camera or a mobile phone, an operator uses the digital camera or mobile phone main body close to the head such as eyes or ears. Therefore, when the cooling fan provided inside or outside the electronic device is rotating, there is a problem that not only the vibration but also the operation sound of the cooling fan can be felt very uncomfortable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is configured so that an operator does not feel the operation sound of the cooling fan unpleasantly while maintaining the performance of the cooling fan for suppressing the high temperature of the electronic device. An object is to provide electronic equipment.

  The electronic device of the present invention is an electronic device including a cooling unit, the detection unit detecting that the head of the operator has approached the electronic device, and the cooling unit based on the detection result of the detection unit And a control means for performing control to reduce the operation sound.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in a small electronic device which an operator uses by approaching a head, the high temperature of an electronic device can be suppressed and it can be made not to worry about the operation sound of a cooling means. .

It is the perspective view seen from the to-be-photographed object side of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is the perspective view seen from the photographer side of the digital camera concerning an embodiment. It is the disassembled perspective view which removed the exterior cover of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the cooling fan vicinity of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control process of the cooling fan of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure for performing the control process of the cooling fan of the digital camera which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control process of the cooling fan of the digital camera which concerns on other embodiment.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although a digital camera (imaging device) will be described as an example of the embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to various electronic devices such as a mobile phone.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the digital camera according to the present embodiment as viewed from the subject side. Operation members such as a zoom lever 2, a release button 3, a power button 4, and a mode switching lever 5 are arranged on the upper part of the digital camera body 1 covered with the exterior cover 7. The zoom lever 2 is an operation member for the photographer to perform a magnification operation of the photographed image. The release button 3 is an operation member for instructing the start of focusing and the start of shooting. The power button 4 is an operation member for switching ON / OFF the power of the digital camera. The mode switching lever 5 is an operation member used for switching of shooting modes such as switching between still image shooting / moving image shooting. In particular, it is desirable that the zoom lever 2 and the release button 3 are arranged on the upper part of the digital camera body 1 so that the photographer (operator) can easily operate with the index finger when holding the digital camera body 1 with the right hand.

  A lens barrel 6 having an optical lens is disposed on the front surface of the digital camera body 1. In order to improve the portability of the digital camera body 1, the lens barrel 6 is extended to a predetermined position protruding from the exterior cover 7 when used, and is not projected from the exterior cover 7 when not used or only displaying a photographed image. Can be stored. In addition, the strobe light emitting unit 8 and the auxiliary light 9 are arranged so that good shooting is performed when the surroundings are below a predetermined brightness. The strobe light emitting unit 8 is configured to irradiate a subject with a desired brightness in accordance with the timing of shooting. In addition, the auxiliary light 9 is configured to irradiate the subject with light before photographing in order to maintain autofocus accuracy even in a dark environment. In addition, a finder opening 10 used for a photographer to determine a photographing range at the time of photographing is provided.

  Further, an exhaust port 12 and an intake port 13 for a cooling fan 11 (described later) installed inside the digital camera body 1 are separately arranged and formed in the exterior cover 7 on the subject side of the digital camera body 1. ing. The outside air sucked from the intake port 13 provided below the digital camera body 1 by the rotation of the cooling fan 11 passes through the inside of the digital camera body 1 to the outside from the exhaust port 12 provided above the digital camera body 1. To be discharged.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the digital camera according to the present embodiment as viewed from the photographer side. A display unit 14 and operation members 15 a to 15 e are arranged on the back surface of the digital camera body 1. The display unit 14 is used for confirming the range of possible photographing at the time of photographing, the contents of changing the settings of various photographing functions, or reproducing and displaying the photographed image. The operation members include a MENU button 15a for changing various settings, a button 15e for selecting a desired one from a plurality of reproduced images when reproducing a captured image, and the like.

  Further, a finder eyepiece 17 used for confirming the photographing range is disposed above the display unit 14 when the photographer fixes the digital camera body 1 to the face for photographing. The finder eyepiece unit 17 is used, for example, when the remaining amount of the battery 16 (see FIG. 4) serving as the power source of the digital camera is low or when it is desired to reduce power consumption as much as possible assuming long-time carrying. Also, since the camera is small and lightweight, it is used as a technique that prevents the captured image from being blurred by camera shake. Further, in the vicinity of the viewfinder eyepiece 17, a detection means including an infrared sensor provided with a light emitting part 18a and a light receiving part 18b is arranged. For example, infrared light or the like is applied to the object from the light emitting unit 18a, and the light receiving unit 18b can detect the light reflected from the object and detect the distance to the object.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the digital camera according to this embodiment with the outer cover 7 removed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane parallel to the optical axis of the digital camera according to the embodiment. On the front side of the digital camera, an electronic circuit board 19 is arranged perpendicular to the optical axis so as to have a large area. In the present embodiment, the electronic circuit board 19 is disposed on the front side of the digital camera, but may be disposed on the back side of the digital camera. A plurality of flexible boards 20 to 23 and the like are electrically connected to the electronic circuit board 19. For example, the flexible substrate 20 includes switches for detecting that the photographer has operated various operation members arranged on the upper part of the digital camera, and a connector that is electrically connected to the battery 16 and supplies current to the electronic circuit board 19. Implemented. The flexible substrate 21 is mounted with an imaging element and exchanges imaging signals with the electronic circuit board 19. The flexible substrate 22 electrically connects a motor for driving a zoom lens for zooming a captured image and a focus lens for focus adjustment to a desired position and detection sensors for operation control. The flexible substrate 23 is mounted with switches for detecting operation of an operation member arranged on the back of the digital camera. The switches for detecting the operation of the operation member on the upper part of the digital camera are pushed in the vertical direction when the release button 3 and the power button 4 are operated, so that the lower side of the switches is supported by a metal support member 24. By fixing the electronic circuit board 19 to the support member 24 with screws, the circuit board GND and the support member 24 can be electrically connected. In addition, the support member 24 is positioned and fixed to the battery storage unit 25 that stores the battery 16.

  On the electronic circuit board 19, an electronic component 26 for image signal processing and an electronic component 27 for various operation control are mounted. These electronic components 26 and 27 increase in heat generation as processing data increases in size and speed. On the other hand, the air layer formed between the electronic circuit board 19 and the exterior cover 7 is very narrow due to the miniaturization required for the digital camera. For this reason, the temperature of the exterior cover 7 rises due to the heat generated by these electronic components 26 and 27, which may give the photographer an uncomfortable feeling and anxiety.

  Therefore, a cooling fan 11 is installed as a cooling means inside the digital camera main body 1, and outside air is taken in from the air inlet 13 provided in the exterior cover 7, and warmed internal air is discharged from the air outlet 12 to the outside. (See arrow in FIG. 4). Since the electronic circuit board 19 is arranged perpendicular to the optical axis, the warm air in the air layer between the electronic circuit board 19 and the exterior cover 7 is replaced with the cold outside air, and is arranged on the electronic circuit board 19. It is possible to efficiently cool the electronic components 26 and 27 thus formed.

  The intake port 13 and the exhaust port 12 provided in the exterior cover 7 are preferably arranged with the intake port 13 on the lower side and the exhaust port 12 on the upper side. This is because the warmed air is light and easy to rise, which is advantageous for cooling the inside. In this case, the exhaust port 12 needs to be provided in a place where a finger or the like cannot touch when the photographer performs a photographing operation. Ideally, the digital camera body 1 is disposed on the front side and below the zoom lever 2 so that the index finger is not easily applied when the release button 3 or the zoom lever 2 is operated. On the other hand, the air inlet 13 should be disposed on the lower side relative to the electronic components 26 and 27 to be cooled. However, it is not desirable to arrange the air inlet 13 on the lower surface of the digital camera body 1. This is because the lower surface of the digital camera body 1 is assumed to be operated by placing the digital camera body 1 on a stand or the like, and the intake port 13 may be blocked. In addition, when the digital camera main body 1 is placed in a place where there is moisture, the digital camera main body 1 is likely to be immersed in the water.

  The cooling fan 11 is a centrifugal fan, and can draw air from a direction parallel to the rotation axis and discharge it in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis. In the present embodiment, the cooling fan 11 is provided in the upper part of the battery storage unit 25, but this is not a limitation. Although the cooling fan 11 is a centrifugal fan in terms of arrangement, other types of rotating fans can be used.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing control processing (operation sequence) of the cooling fan of the digital camera according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration for executing the cooling fan control process. Reference numeral 18 denotes detection means including an infrared sensor provided with the light emitting unit 18a and the light receiving unit 18b described above. Reference numeral 28 denotes temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature inside the digital camera. 29 is a CPU, and 30 is a storage unit. The CPU 29 functions as a control unit by executing a program stored in the storage unit 30, and repeatedly executes a cooling fan control process described below at regular intervals.

  First, the output values of the detection means (light emitting unit 18a and light receiving unit 18b) provided in the vicinity of the viewfinder eyepiece unit 17 are confirmed (step S101), and the photographer's head is sent to the digital camera according to the detection result. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is approaching within a distance (step S102).

  If it is determined in step S102 that the photographer's head is approaching, the temperature inside the digital camera is measured (step S103), and it is determined whether the temperature inside the camera is higher than a predetermined value (step S104). . When it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is higher than the predetermined value, the cooling fan 11 is operated in the low speed mode (step S105), and the process returns to step S101. In the low speed mode, the photographer operates at a low speed that does not bother the operation sound of the cooling fan 11 with the head approaching the digital camera, thereby reducing the operation sound. If it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, it is not necessary to operate the cooling fan 11, so the cooling fan 11 is stopped or maintained (step S106), and the process returns to step S101.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the photographer's head is not approaching, the temperature inside the digital camera is measured as in step S103 (step S107), and whether or not the temperature inside the camera is higher than a predetermined value. Is determined (step S108). If it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is higher than the predetermined value, the cooling fan 11 is operated in the high speed mode (step S109), and the process returns to step S101. Since the head is not approaching the digital camera, the operation sound of the cooling fan 11 is not anxious. Therefore, the inside of the camera can be efficiently cooled by rotating the cooling fan 11 at high speed. When it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, it is not necessary to operate the cooling fan 11, so the cooling fan 11 is stopped or maintained (step S110), and the process returns to step S101.

  With the configuration described above, for example, the detection means detects that the photographer's head has approached the digital camera, and after reducing the number of rotations of the cooling fan 11, the photographer's head moves away from the digital camera. When this is detected, it is possible to operate the cooling fan 11 again in the high speed mode. Thereby, the inside of the digital camera is cooled more effectively by the cooling fan 11.

(Other embodiments)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a cooling fan control process (operation sequence) of a digital camera according to another embodiment. The CPU 29 functions as a control unit by executing a program stored in the storage unit 30, and repeatedly executes a cooling fan control process described below at regular intervals. The configuration of the digital camera is the same as that of the above-described embodiment except that it includes volume measuring means for measuring the surrounding volume, and the difference (cooling fan control process) will be described below.

  First, the surrounding volume of the digital camera is measured (step S201), and it is determined whether or not the surrounding volume is smaller than a predetermined value based on the measurement result (step S202). When it is determined that the surrounding volume is smaller than the predetermined value, the output values of the detection means (light emitting unit 18a and light receiving unit 18b) provided in the vicinity of the viewfinder eyepiece unit 17 are confirmed (step S203), and the detection result is It is determined whether or not the photographer's head is approaching the digital camera within a predetermined distance (step S204).

  If it is determined in step S204 that the photographer's head is approaching, the temperature inside the digital camera is measured (step S205), and it is determined whether the temperature inside the camera is higher than a predetermined value (step S206). . When it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is higher than the predetermined value, the cooling fan 11 is operated in the low speed mode (step S207), and the process returns to step S201. In the low-speed mode, the photographer operates at a low speed that does not bother the operation sound of the cooling fan 11 with the head approaching the digital camera. If it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, it is not necessary to operate the cooling fan 11, so the cooling fan 11 is stopped or maintained (step S208), and the process returns to step S201.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S204 that the photographer's head is not approaching, the temperature inside the digital camera is measured as in step S205 (step S209), and whether or not the temperature inside the camera is higher than a predetermined value. Is determined (step S210). When it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is higher than the predetermined value, the cooling fan 11 is operated in the high speed mode (step S211), and the process returns to step S201. Since the head is not approaching the digital camera, the operation sound of the cooling fan 11 is not anxious. Therefore, the inside of the camera can be efficiently cooled by rotating the cooling fan 11 at high speed. If it is determined that the temperature inside the camera is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, it is not necessary to operate the cooling fan 11, so the cooling fan 11 is stopped or maintained (step S212), and the process returns to step S201.

  If it is determined in step S202 that the surrounding volume is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S209. In steps S209 to S212, as described above, the temperature inside the camera is measured, and if it is higher than a predetermined value, the cooling fan 11 is operated in the high speed mode, and if it is lower than the predetermined value, the cooling fan 11 is stopped or stopped. And return to step S201.

  When using a digital camera, if the surrounding volume is high, the photographer does not care about the operation sound of the cooling fan 11 inside the digital camera even if the photographer approaches the head. There is no need to perform control. Therefore, the cooling fan 11 can be operated more effectively by providing a sound collecting unit (not shown) capable of measuring the surrounding sound volume in the digital camera, measuring the surrounding sound volume, and comparing the sound volume with a predetermined value.

  In the embodiment described above, the cooling effect in the low speed mode is set so as to suppress the temperature of the exterior cover 7 of the digital camera body 1 to the extent that the photographer does not feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, the cooling effect in the high speed mode is higher than that, and is set to a level sufficient to suppress the temperature rise of the outer cover 7. In addition, the operating sound of the cooling fan 11 may be felt noisy when the ear is brought close in the high speed mode, but at a level that does not matter in the low speed mode. Thus, in the state where the head (especially the ear) is close, priority is given to silence of the operating sound over the cooling effect, and in the state where the ear is not close, priority is given to the temperature rise suppression effect. As a result, not only can the inside of the digital camera be efficiently cooled, but also a digital camera that does not bother the operation sound of the cooling fan 11 can be provided.

  Although the digital camera has been described as an example in the above embodiment, the present invention can be similarly applied to an electronic device assumed to be used near a face or an ear, such as an information terminal typified by a mobile phone. For example, in a mobile phone, by disposing the detection means in the vicinity of the speaker, it is possible to determine that the operator's head has approached the mobile phone, so that the rotation speed of the cooling fan can be controlled. In addition, in a notebook computer, a detecting means is provided around the display unit or in the vicinity of the keyboard to detect the presence or absence of an operator, and the cooling fan is operated in a low speed mode during work, and in a high speed mode during leaving. By operating, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the present embodiment.

  Each process of the present invention can also be realized by executing software (program) acquired via a network or various storage media by a processing device (CPU, processor) such as a personal computer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Digital camera main body, 11: Cooling fan, 12: Exhaust port, 13: Intake port, 18: Detection means, 18a: Light emission part, 18b: Light reception part, 28: Temperature measurement means, 29: CPU, 30: Storage part

Claims (10)

An electronic device provided with a cooling means,
Detection means for detecting that the operator's head is close to the electronic device;
An electronic apparatus comprising: a control unit that performs control to reduce an operation sound of the cooling unit based on a detection result of the detection unit. The electronic device is an imaging device,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is disposed in the vicinity of the viewfinder eyepiece. The electronic device is a mobile phone,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is disposed in the vicinity of a speaker.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is an infrared sensor including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit.   The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit is a cooling fan.   When the detection means detects that the operator's head is approaching, the control means operates the cooling fan at a lower speed than when the operator's head is not approaching, or The electronic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein control is performed to reduce an operation sound of the cooling unit by stopping the cooling fan. Temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature in the electronic device,
The control means operates the cooling fan at a low speed when the temperature in the electronic device is higher than a predetermined value, and stops the cooling fan when the temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined value. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein control for reducing the size is performed. A volume measuring means for measuring the surrounding volume is provided,
When the surrounding sound volume is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control means operates the cooling fan at a low speed even if the detection means detects that the operator's head is approaching, or the cooling means 8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein control for stopping the fan is not performed. A method for controlling an electronic device provided with a cooling means,
An electronic device control method comprising a step of performing control to reduce an operating sound of the cooling unit based on a detection result of a detection unit that detects that an operator's head has approached the electronic device. A program for controlling an electronic device having a cooling means,
A program for causing a computer to execute a process of performing control for reducing the operation sound of the cooling unit based on a detection result of a detection unit that detects that an operator's head approaches an electronic device.

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