JP2001282399A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a battery-less information processor capable of realizing an operation without necessitating any power supply from the outside. SOLUTION: This information processor is provided with a light generating unit 11 for generating a power according to light, a shaking generating unit 12 for generating power according to the shaking or vibration of equipment, a heat generating unit 13 for generating power according to heat to be generated from a heating body such as an LSI inside the equipment, a keyboard generating unit 14 for generating power according to the hitting force of a keyboard, a mouse generating unit 15 for generating power according to force to move a mouse. Thus, this information processor can be operated by using power supplied from those generating units 11-15 as a power source.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to a battery-less information processing apparatus that operates without requiring external power supply.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in the case of a notebook-type personal computer as an information processing device, when the personal computer is used outside of the office, a built-in battery (secondary battery) is operated as a power source.

In this case, the battery is externally supplied with power and charged before use, but the operating time of a currently used battery is limited to several hours per charge. .

[0004]

For this reason, when using a notebook-type personal computer or the like on the go, it is impossible to use it for a long time, and charging is difficult on the go.
There was a significant restriction on the usage time.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such a problem.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus for solving the above-mentioned problems, comprising: a photovoltaic device for generating electric power by light; Oscillating power generator, thermoelectric generator that generates electric power by heat generated from the heating element inside the device, keyboard generator that generates electric power by hitting the keyboard, and mouse that generates electric power by moving the mouse And a power generator, or comprises at least two or more power generators of the plurality of power generators,
The power supplied from the power generator is operated as a power supply.

Further, the information processing apparatus according to the second invention of the present invention is provided with a power generating means mounted on a part of a human body and generating electric power by the movement of the human body outside the apparatus, and an electric power supplied from the power generating means. Operates as a power supply.

As a result, it is possible to realize a battery-less information processing device that operates without requiring external power supply.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 show an embodiment according to the first invention of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a notebook personal computer (personal computer) 1 as an example of an information processing apparatus, 2 is a personal computer main body, and 3 is an LCD (liquid crystal display panel).
The display unit 3 has a screen 4 composed of the following. The display unit 3 is configured to be foldable with respect to the personal computer body 2.

A keyboard 5 for inputting characters and the like and performing various operations is provided on an operation surface 2a of the personal computer main body 2. A central device of the keyboard 5 is a pointing device for moving a pointer on a screen. An operation element 6 is provided. A mouse 7 is connected to the personal computer 1 as necessary, and various operations can be performed by the mouse 7.

The personal computer 1 is provided with a plurality of types of power generation devices inside and outside thereof, and operates using power supplied from these power generation devices as a power source. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the photovoltaic power generation device 11, the rocking power generation device 12, the thermoelectric power generation device 13, and the keyboard power generation device 14 are built in the personal computer 1, and further connected to the outside of the personal computer 1. The mouse 7 includes a mouse power generation device 15.

The photovoltaic device 11 generates electric power by being irradiated with light. For this purpose, a solar cell for converting light energy into electricity is preferably used. As shown in FIG. 1, it is arranged so as to be exposed in an empty space (space excluding the keyboard 5) of the operation surface 2a of the personal computer body 2.

The oscillating power generator 12 generates electric power by oscillating the personal computer 1, and its specific configuration is, for example, an apparatus as shown in FIG.

That is, the oscillating power generator 12 is configured by winding a coil 22 around the outer periphery of a cylindrical bobbin 21 and movably disposing a magnet 23 inside the bobbin 21 around which the coil 22 is wound. When the magnet 23 moves in the bobbin 21 due to shaking or vibration when the personal computer 1 is carried or the like, an electromotive voltage is generated in the coil 22 and this is taken out as generated power.

The swing power generator 12 may have a structure in which a magnet 23 is suspended in a bobbin 21 by a spring. In this case, there is an advantage that generation of abnormal noise (hitting sound) due to movement of the magnet 23 and breakage of the magnet 23 can be effectively prevented.

The thermoelectric generator 13 generates electric power by heat generated from a heating element inside the personal computer.
This is a thermoelectric element (Seebeck element) that converts the heat energy of the heating element into electricity by the so-called Seebeck effect.
Is preferably used.

As this thermoelectric element, for example, a PN-type thermoelectric element having a configuration in which a plurality of PN elements are connected in series is used. This thermoelectric element 24 is, for example, a heating element on a circuit board 25 in a personal computer main body as shown in FIG. And the LS
The thermoelectric generator 13 is configured so as to be sandwiched between the I26 and a heat sink 27 for cooling.

In the thermoelectric device 24 of the thermoelectric generator 13, the heat of the LSI 26 is converted into electricity by the Seebeck effect due to the temperature difference between the LSI 26 and the heat sink 27, and this is extracted as generated power.

The keyboard generator 14 generates electric power by the force of striking the keyboard, and is constructed by, for example, incorporating a piezoelectric element in a key striking mechanism of the keyboard.

FIG. 5 shows a specific configuration example. In the figure, reference numeral 28 denotes a key constituting the keyboard 5, and a switch unit 29 is provided immediately below the key 28. The key 28 is a rod 2 projecting downward from its center.
The portion 8a is supported by the switch unit 29 so as to be vertically movable.

The switch unit 29 is fixed on a keyboard-based circuit board 30. A switch mechanism and a spring mechanism are incorporated in the switch unit 29. That is, when the key 28 is pressed with a finger, the switch mechanism is electrically operated. Switching is performed, and when the finger is released, the key 28 is elastically returned to the original height position by the spring mechanism.

In the keying mechanism of the keyboard 5, the keyboard generator 14 is formed between the rod 28a of the key 28 and the circuit board 30. That is, in this example, the lower end 28b of the rod 28a of the key 28 projects from the switch unit 29, and the circuit board 3
The piezoelectric element 32 is disposed on the zero. In this case, the circuit board 30 has a structure in which a groove 31 is formed to partially provide an elastic flexible portion 30a, and a piezoelectric element 32 is attached to a tip of the elastic flexible portion 30a.

In this configuration, when the key 28 of the keyboard 5 is pressed from the normal state shown in FIG.
The lower end 2 of the rod 28a of the key 28 as shown in FIG.
8b pushes the piezoelectric element 32 to apply pressure thereto. Since the piezoelectric element 32 is an element that converts distortion caused by pressure into electricity, an electromotive voltage is generated by applying pressure by the rod 28a of the key 28, and this is taken out as generated power. In this power generation operation,
As is apparent from the figure, since the elastic flexible portion 30a of the circuit board 30 bends downward, pressure can be more reliably applied to the piezoelectric element 32, so that stable generated power can be obtained. .

The mouse power generation device 15 generates electric power by a force for moving the mouse 7, and is provided with a power generator for generating electric power by rotating a roller ball in the mouse 7, for example.

FIG. 6 shows a specific example of the configuration. Here, reference numeral 33 denotes a roller ball disposed inside the mouse 7. The roller ball 33 is partially exposed from the bottom of the mouse 7. In the mouse 7, rotation detection rollers 34 and 35 in the X and Y directions and an auxiliary roller 36 are rolled in contact with the roller ball 33 inside the mouse 7.

The rotation detecting rollers 34 and 35 are directly connected to the encoders 37 and 38, respectively. When the mouse 7 is moved to rotate the roller ball 33, the rotation detecting rollers 34 and 35 rotate according to the rotation direction. The rotation is detected by the encoders 37 and 38 and output in the X and Y directions, based on which the pointer on the screen moves.

In the mouse 7, a generator (motor for generating) 3 is integrated with the encoders 37 and 38.
The mouse power generation device 15 is configured by providing the mouse power generation devices 9 and 40. That is, when the rotation detection rollers 34 and 35 are rotated by the rotation of the roller ball 33, the rotation is also transmitted to the power generators 39 and 40 to generate power. Machines 39 and 40 are turned,
Thus, the power generation is performed.

The power generated by the various power generators 11 to 15 as described above is stored in the secondary battery 19 via the charging control circuit 18 in the personal computer 1, and necessary power is supplied from the secondary battery 19 to the power supply circuit of the personal computer 1. Thus, the personal computer 1 of the present example can operate without requiring external power supply.

The personal computer according to the present invention does not need to include all of the above-described various power generation devices 11 to 15, but may have a configuration in which some of them are provided. However, in this case,
Since it is difficult to stably obtain the electric power required for the operation of the personal computer with only one type of power generation device, a plurality of power generation devices, that is, at least two or more types of power generation devices are provided.

Next, an embodiment according to the second invention of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The personal computer 1 as the information processing device of this example
Has an external power generating means for generating electric power using the movement of the human body, and operates using electric power supplied from the power generating means as a power supply. Here, as the external power generation means, a power generation glove device 16 that generates power by hand movement and a power generation shoe device 17 that generates power by foot motion are used.

As shown in FIG. 8, the power-generating glove device 16 comprises a glove (glove) 41 attached to a human hand, a swing power generator 42 and a piezoelectric element 43.

The oscillating power generator 42 has the same configuration as the oscillating power generator 12 shown in FIG. 3, that is, the coil 22 is wound around the outer periphery of the cylindrical bobbin 21, and the bobbin 21 wound with the coil 22 is wound. The oscillating power generator 42 is attached to the wrist of the glove 41 in this example.

The piezoelectric element 43 is an element for converting distortion due to pressure into electricity. In this embodiment, the piezoelectric element 43 is attached to the tip of each finger of the globe 41.

In the power generation glove device 16, the oscillating power generation device 42
The magnet 23 moves in the bobbin 21 so that the coil 22
An electromotive voltage is generated in the piezoelectric element 43, which is taken out as generated electric power, and touched by a hand applied to the piezoelectric element 43 when touching an object with a hand or hitting a keyboard.
3, an electromotive voltage is generated, and this is extracted as generated power.

As described above, the power generation glove device 16 of the present embodiment is provided with the two power generation means of the oscillating power generation device 42 and the piezoelectric element 43, so that large power can be obtained by combining the two power generation means. It has become. It is preferable that the power generation glove device 16 include both the swing power generation device 42 and the piezoelectric element 43, but the present invention may be configured to include only one of them.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the power generation shoe device 17 comprises a swing (44) power generation device 45 and a piezoelectric element 46 in a shoe (shoes) 44 mounted on a human foot.

The oscillating power generator 45 shown in FIG. 3 is the same as the oscillating power generator glove device 16 described above.
2, that is, a coil 22 is wound around the outer periphery of a cylindrical bobbin 21, and the bobbin 2 around which the coil 22 is wound
1, the magnet 23 is movably arranged. In this example, the rocking power generator 45 is attached to the side of the shoe 44.

In the power generation shoe device 17, the piezoelectric element 46 is disposed so as to be embedded in the bottom 44a of the shoe 44.

In the power generation shoe device 17, the magnet 23 of the rocking power generation device 45 moves in the bobbin 21 due to the shaking or vibration of the foot when walking, so that an electromotive voltage is generated in the coil 22 and this is generated power. At the same time as the electric power is taken out, an electromotive voltage is generated in the piezoelectric element 46 by the stepping pressure of the foot applied to the piezoelectric element 46 when walking, and this is taken out as generated power.

As described above, in the power generation shoe device 17 of the present embodiment, since the two power generation means of the swing power generation device 45 and the piezoelectric element 46 are provided, a large amount of electric power can be obtained by combining the two power generation means. It has become. It is desirable that the power generation shoe device 17 includes both the swing power generation device 45 and the piezoelectric element 46, but the present invention may be configured to include only one of them.

The power generated by the power generation glove device 16 and the power generation shoe device 17 as described above is stored in the secondary battery 19 via the charge control circuit 18 in the personal computer 1, and the necessary power is supplied from the secondary battery 19 to the personal computer 1. The power is supplied to the power supply circuit 20, so that the personal computer 1 of the present embodiment can operate without requiring external power supply.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and can adopt various other embodiments.

[0045]

As apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a battery-less information processing device which operates without requiring external power supply. Since there is no restriction on the use time and no external power supply is required, a great economic effect can be expected, and it is also effective for environmental problems.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an information processing apparatus (notebook personal computer) according to a first invention of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view showing a configuration example of the oscillating power generation device.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a configuration example of the thermoelectric generator.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a configuration example of the keyboard power generator.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a configuration example of the mouse power generation device.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing device according to a second invention of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a configuration example of the power generation glove device.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway side view showing a configuration example of the power generation shoe device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 PC (information processing equipment), 11 photovoltaic power generator, 12 rocking power generator, 13 thermal power generator, 14
‥‥ Keyboard generator, 15 ‥‥ Mouse generator, 1
6 ‥‥ power generation glove device, 17 ‥‥ power generation shoe device,
22 ° coil, 23 ° magnet, 24 ° thermoelectric element, 2
6 ‥‥ LSI (heating element), 28 ‥‥ key, 32 ‥‥ piezoelectric element, 33 ‥‥ roller ball, 34, 35 ‥‥ rotation detection roller, 39, 40 ‥‥ generator, 41 ‥‥ glove, 42 ‥ {Swinging power generator, 43} Piezoelectric element, 44}
{Shoes, 45} Swing generator, 46} Piezoelectric element

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A photovoltaic power generation device that generates electric power by light, a rocking power generation device that generates power by rocking a device, and a thermal power generation device that generates power by heat generated from a heating element inside the device. A keyboard generator that generates electric power by hitting the keyboard, and a mouse generator that generates electric power by moving the mouse; or, at least two or more electric generators among the plurality of electric generators, An information processing device that operates using electric power supplied from the power generation device as a power supply. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photovoltaic device includes a solar cell that converts light energy into electricity. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the oscillating power generator is configured by movably disposing a magnet in a cylindrical coil. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric generator includes a thermoelectric element that converts thermal energy of a heating element inside the apparatus into electricity by a Seebeck effect. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard power generation device is configured by incorporating a piezoelectric element in a keying mechanism of the keyboard. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mouse power generation device includes a power generator that generates power by rotation of a roller ball in the mouse. 7. An information processing apparatus comprising: a power generation means mounted on a part of a human body and generating electric power by movement of the human body outside the apparatus; and operating using power supplied from the power generation means as a power supply. . 8. The power generating means is mounted on a hand of a human body, and generates at least one of an oscillating power generating device that generates electric power by shaking the hand and a piezoelectric element that generates electric power by touching the hand. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the information processing apparatus includes a power generation glove device including: 9. The power generation means includes at least one of a rocking power generation device that is mounted on a human body foot and generates electric power by rocking the foot, and a piezoelectric element that generates electric power by pressing the foot. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the information processing device includes a power generation shoe device provided with the power generation shoe device.