JP2002169625A - Information processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit, in information processing equipment on which a fuel cell pack is detachably mounted as a power source, heating up the fuel cell with a simple and inexpensive mechanism. SOLUTION: On a main body unit 11 of a notebook PC10, a mounting part 15 for selectively mounting either a second battery pack P1 or the fuel cell pack P2 is formed. In the main body unit 11, a blasting mechanism 31 for heating up the fuel cell pack P2 mounted in the mounting part 15 by using the waste heat generated from a heat dissipation part 32 for a CPU24 or the like is disposed. The blasting mechanism 31 includes an air blower 33 that blows air to the heat dissipation part 32 to produce a hot blast, and a guide wall 35 for bringing the hot blast into the mounting part 15.

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 in which a fuel cell pack is detachably mounted and used as a power source, for example, an information processing apparatus using a fuel cell pack of a type that directly oxidizes methanol.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of information processing apparatuses using a fuel cell (FC) pack as a power source, for example, personal computers (PCs) have been devised. Conventionally, a fuel cell of a type incorporating a hydrogen absorbing metal (reacting hydrogen and oxygen as a fuel) is used for this purpose. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-213359 discloses a P-type fuel cell pack using such a type of fuel cell pack.
C is disclosed.

The above publication describes measures against water generated by a power generation reaction, which is a problem when a fuel cell pack is used in a PC or the like. Specifically, the fuel cell pack has a water retention means made of a superabsorbent polymer material for recovering water generated in the fuel cell body, and humidifies the hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell body using the recovered water. And a humidifying unit for performing humidification. Furthermore, the above publication discloses a method for reducing the amount of water collected by the water retention means by evaporation.
A method utilizing heat generated in the fuel cell body and a method of promoting evaporation by an air flow are exemplified.

On the other hand, in addition to a fuel cell using a hydrogen absorbing alloy, a fuel cell (DMFC) that directly oxidizes methanol has been devised. Such a DMF
An example of C is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-2000-106201. This DMFC does not require so-called auxiliary equipment such as a reformer and a fuel pump. Therefore, it has a small number of movable mechanism parts, is easily reduced in size and weight, and is optimal as a power source for a notebook PC.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DMFC in PC
There are several problems when using. One of them is a problem of water generated by a power generation reaction, which is a problem common to a fuel cell incorporating a hydrogen absorbing metal.
That is, the fuel cell essentially generates a waste liquid such as water, which is usually vaporized using heat or the like generated in the fuel cell. However, depending on various environmental conditions, a case where vaporized water vapor is liquefied in a PC housing or the like inevitably occurs. It is very difficult to design such that water does not enter the PC, because it is inconsistent with requirements such as heat radiation, ventilation, and the like.

In addition to the above problems, DMFC has the following problems with respect to output voltage, power consumption, and battery operating temperature. That is, current notebook PCs are often designed with a Li-ion battery that is charged using a dedicated AC adapter as the main power supply. In this case, it is considered optimal to connect three batteries in series inside the battery pack and design the battery as a secondary battery having a terminal voltage of about 10 volts from the viewpoint of efficiency and the like.

On the other hand, in the case of a DMFC, if a large number of battery cells are not stacked in order to manufacture the DMFC at a low cost, the terminal voltage becomes a low voltage of about 1 to several volts. Generally, the inside of a fuel cell is divided into a plurality of electrode plates, which are connected in series and supplied with a low-level voltage which can be easily obtained. Here, the output voltage of each battery cell is about 0.5 V during operation.

[0008] Although it is possible to design a DMFC to obtain a high output voltage by stacking a large number of battery cells, it is difficult to reduce the price because manufacturing becomes difficult. Also,
Current notebook PCs, independent of battery cell stacking
To supply the required power, the area of the DMFC becomes too large. In this case, the performance of the DMFC
For example, even if it goes up to 45 mW / cm ² ,
1000 cm ² is required to supply

It is considered that the greatest advantage of using a fuel cell for a portable device is that the device can be used virtually indefinitely as long as the fuel is carried on the road. However, there is a limit to the power that can be taken out of the fuel cell, and it is necessary to be able to use the PC with greatly limited power consumption in consideration of the fact that it can be used for a long time even if the performance of the PC is sacrificed. However, current PCs are not designed for use with electric power that can be extracted from a fuel cell.

Further, in order to stabilize the output voltage of the DMFC at a high value, the battery cell must be at a high temperature, for example, 70 ° C.
Desirably, it is heated to 100 ° C. However, separately arranging a heating mechanism for the PC in the PC leads to an increase in cost and a possibility of adversely affecting other parts. Moreover, when the PC is used as a power source by selectively mounting either the secondary battery pack or the fuel cell pack, it is necessary to provide different temperature conditions corresponding to each battery pack. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell pack which can be detachably mounted and used as a power source even if it is desired to heat the fuel cell pack as described above.
In C, the fuel cell pack is heated by a simple and inexpensive mechanism.

[0012]

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention has a main body unit having a data processing section, a power supply connector for connecting to a fuel cell pack serving as a power supply, and detachably mounts the fuel cell pack. A mounting portion formed on the main unit for mounting as possible, and a hot air is blown to the heat radiating portion in the main unit to obtain a hot air, and the hot air is supplied to the mounting portion. And a blower mechanism disposed in the main unit so as to heat the fuel cell pack mounted on the mounting portion by being introduced.

Further, the embodiments of the present invention include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, when an invention is extracted by omitting some constituent elements from all the constituent elements described in the embodiment, when implementing the extracted invention, the omitted part is appropriately supplemented by a well-known common technique. It is something to be done.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description will be made only when necessary.

FIG. 1 shows a notebook personal computer (PC) 1 as an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal circuit configuration of the main unit 11.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the PC 10 has a main unit 11 including a data processing unit such as a CPU 24 functioning as a hub of a computer main body. A keyboard 12 for inputting various instructions to the data processing unit is provided on the upper surface of the main unit. A display unit 13 including a display unit 14 such as an LCD panel whose operation is controlled by the data processing unit is rotatably supported by the main unit 11. The keyboard 12 can be selectively covered by the display unit 13 by rotating the display unit 13.

On the side of the main unit 11, a mounting portion 15 is provided as a slot, ie, a concave portion, for detachably mounting a battery pack serving as a power supply. The mounting section 15 is made of Li
The fuel cell (DMFC) pack P2, which directly oxidizes methanol and the ion-type secondary battery pack P1, is formed so as to be selectively mounted. The secondary battery pack P1 and the fuel cell pack P
2 is provided with a common power supply connector 19 that can be connected to any one of the two. An opening 16 for ventilation is formed at the deepest portion of the mounting portion, that is, the slot 15. Mounting part 1
5 is set such that the outer side surface of the battery pack forms a substantially flat side wall together with the side surface of the main unit 11, regardless of whether the secondary battery pack P1 or the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted. 1 and 2 show a state where the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted on the mounting portion 15.

As shown in FIG. 2, the power supply connector 19 of the mounting section 15 is connected to the power supply section 2 provided in the main body unit 11.
Connected to 0. The power supply unit 20 is also connected to an AC adapter 17 provided outside the main unit 11 via a power input connector 18. The power supply unit 20 is further connected to a built-in secondary battery 22 provided in the main unit 11. The voltages input from these power supplies are converted by the power supply unit 20 into voltages suitable for each unit of the PC 10, and the PC 1
0 is supplied to each part. The power supply unit 20 is not only supplied with power from the built-in secondary battery 22 (discharge of the battery 22), but also
The battery 22 can be charged while power is supplied from an external power supply via the AC adapter 17.

One of the power supply destinations of the power supply unit 20 is a main board 23 provided in the main unit 11, and a CPU 24 is mounted on the main board 23. 2, a modem 25 and a DVD reproducing / recording device 26 provided in the main unit 11 are shown as examples of peripheral devices connected to the main board 23. The CPU 24 is set to control the entire control of the PC 10. The modem 25 communicates with another computer via a communication line. The DVD reproducing / recording device 26 reproduces audio and images recorded on a DVD, or records audio and images on a DVD.

The power supply unit 20 includes a DC / DC converter, a power supply microcomputer, a battery charge / discharge control IC, and the like, like the power supply unit of a normal PC. Even when the PC 10 is OFF, the power supply microcomputer operates while being supplied with a small amount of electric power. For example, an event such as when a power switch of the PC 10 is pressed or power is supplied to the power connector 19 is generated.
It is monitored in the same way as a normal PC power supply. However, the power supply microcomputer 21 according to the present embodiment has special functions such as mode switching means as described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fuel cell pack P2 is
A battery cell unit 51 for performing a power generation reaction;
1 includes a fuel tank (fuel storage section) 52 and a waste liquid tank (waste liquid storage section) 53 which can be attached to and detached from the fuel tank 1. The fuel tank 52 is transparent, and stores therein methanol used as fuel in the battery cell unit 51. The waste liquid tank 53 is also transparent, and stores therein waste liquid (water) generated in the battery cell unit 51. The tanks 52 and 53 are
Is attached, the fuel cell pack P2 forms a rectangular body without a notch. When the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted on the mounting portion 15, the tank 5
The interior of the main body 2 and 53 can be visually recognized from outside the main unit 11 through these transparent walls.

The fuel cell pack P2 has an air supply port 54 communicating with each other through a plurality of heat exchange ventilation passages 56 formed between a plurality of horizontal battery panels of the battery cell section 51.
And an exhaust port 55 are formed. The air supply port 54 is attached to the mounting portion 1.
In a state where the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted on the fuel cell 5, the fuel cell pack P2 is aligned with the ventilation opening 16 formed at the deepest part of the mounting portion 15. On the other hand, the exhaust port 55 is disposed so as to open between the tanks 52 and 53, and the fuel cell pack P 2
Is exposed to the outside of the main body unit 11 in a state where is mounted.

As described above, in the case of a fuel cell pack (DMFC) P2 of the type that directly oxidizes methanol, in order to stabilize the output voltage at a high value, the battery cell must be at a high temperature.
For example, it is desirable to be heated to 70C to 100C. In the present embodiment, in order to heat the fuel cell pack P2, waste heat generated in the main body unit 11, for example, 70 ° C to 80 ° C generated from the CPU 24 is used. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, in the main body unit 11, hot air is obtained by forcibly blowing air to a heat radiating portion (radiating fin) 32 such as the CPU 24, and the hot air is introduced into the mounting portion 15. An air blowing mechanism 31 for heating the fuel cell pack P2 mounted on the fuel cell pack 15 is provided.

Specifically, the blower mechanism 31 includes a blower 33 such as a fan and a blower disposed near one side of the main unit 11. An air intake 34 is formed on one side of the main unit 11 adjacent to the blower 33.
The blowing mechanism 31 also includes a guide wall or guide duct 35 that surrounds the heat radiating section 32 and forms a blow path from the blower 33 to the mounting section 15 through the heat radiating section 32. The guide duct 35 has a fuel cell pack P2
And a surrounding plate 36 that engages with the casing around the air supply port 54 to prevent hot air from escaping from the air passage.

During operation of the PC 10, air is taken in from the air intake 34 by the blower 33 and
Hot air is formed in the heat radiating portion 32 by forcibly blowing air toward the heat radiating portion 32 along 5. This hot air is introduced into the mounting portion 15 along the guide duct 35, and is supplied to the air supply port 54 of the fuel cell pack P2 mounted on the mounting portion 15.
Then, the air passes through the heat exchange ventilation path 56 and is discharged from the exhaust port 55. As a result, a sufficient amount of oxygen is supplied to the battery cell unit 51 of the fuel cell pack P2, and the battery cell unit 51 is heated, so that the fuel cell pack P2 is heated.
2 is improved. Further, at this time, the waste liquid (water) generated in the battery cell part 51 is pushed out to the waste liquid tank 53 side by the hot air flow introduced from the air supply port 54, so that the waste liquid tank 53 is discharged from the battery cell part 51 to the waste liquid tank 53. Discharge of waste liquid is encouraged.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the secondary battery pack P1 is mounted on the mounting portion 15, it is not preferable to heat the secondary battery pack P1 by the blowing mechanism 31. For this reason, the secondary battery pack P1 is formed such that the surface facing the deepest portion of the mounting portion 15 is completely closed, and has a large cutout 61 around the entire periphery of the same surface. Thus, when the secondary battery pack P1 is mounted on the mounting portion 15, the surrounding plate 3 at the end of the guide duct 35 is
A large gap is formed between the battery pack 6 and the secondary battery pack P1 by the notch 61, and hot air can escape to the side through this gap. Also, corresponding to the escape direction of this hot air,
The main unit 11 is provided with a bypass 66 for allowing hot air to escape to the outside of the main unit 11.

Returning to FIG. 2 again, in the main unit 11, an identification means 41 for identifying which of the secondary battery pack P1 and the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted is provided. Specifically, the identification means 41 comprises a sensor having a spring-biased pin 42 projecting into the mounting portion 15. When the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted in the mounting portion 15, the pins 42 are pushed in by the side walls of the fuel cell pack P2, thereby detecting that the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted. On the other hand, the secondary battery pack P
1, the pin 42 is not pushed in due to the presence of the notch 61 formed in the secondary battery pack P1 to allow the hot air to escape, whereby the secondary battery pack P1
Is detected.

That is, the identification means 41 determines whether the secondary battery pack P
1 and the fuel cell pack P2 can be physically recognized to identify which of the secondary battery pack P1 and the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted. Such a physical recognition function can also be obtained by using an optical sensor.

If the identification means 41 detects that the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted on the mounting portion 15 without power supply from the AC adapter 17, a fuel cell mode different from the normal mode is used as the operation mode. Is done. In this case, as described later, some application programs with large power consumption cannot be executed. On the other hand, when power is supplied from the AC adapter 17,
When the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted on the mounting section 15, the normal mode is used. In this case, a high-speed and high-performance operation using power of several tens of W level can be performed as in the related art. These switching controls are performed as described below.
This is performed by a power supply microcomputer 21 built in the power supply unit 20.

In the main unit 11, a detecting means 44 for detecting whether or not the fuel cell pack P2 can be used is provided. Specifically, the detecting means 44 is constituted by a load sensor disposed in the mounting portion 15 so as to be located below the waste liquid tank 53. On the other hand, the waste liquid tank 53 of the fuel cell pack P2 is configured such that a different load is applied to the load sensor in accordance with the load of the contents thereof (for example, by being movable within a predetermined range. ).
Accordingly, the detecting unit 44 can detect whether the waste liquid tank 53 is mounted on the fuel cell pack P2 or whether the amount of waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 53 is equal to or less than a predetermined amount.

When the detecting means 44 detects that the fuel cell pack P2 is not in a usable state, the PC 10
Does not start. This control is also performed by the power supply microcomputer 21 built in the power supply unit 20. When only detecting whether or not the waste liquid tank 53 is attached to the fuel cell pack P2, a pin sensor or an optical sensor similar to the identification unit 41 can be used instead of the load sensor.

Next, the operation of the power supply microcomputer 21 of the power supply section 20 will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the power supply microcomputer 21.

First, the power supply microcomputer 21 determines whether or not the AC adapter is connected (S1). In S1, when it is determined that the AC adapter is connected, the normal mode for performing the conventional operation is set (S2). When it is determined in S1 that the AC adapter is not connected, it is determined whether or not the battery pack is mounted on the mounting unit 15 based on the voltage from the power connector 19 (S3). If it is determined in S3 that the battery pack is not mounted, the process returns to S1.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S3 that the battery pack is not mounted, then the identification means 41
It is determined which of the secondary battery pack P1 and the fuel cell pack P2 is mounted on the mounting section 15 based on the detection result of (S4). If it is determined in S4 that the secondary battery pack P1 is mounted, the normal mode in which the conventional operation is performed is set (S5). In S4, when it is determined that the fuel cell pack P2 is connected, the mode shifts to the fuel cell mode (S6). As described above, the power supply microcomputer 21 automatically sets the operation mode, so that a mode setting error due to a user's operation error does not occur.

Next, the fuel cell mode will be specifically described.

The fuel cell mode is a mode for reducing the power consumption during the operation of the PC 10 so that the PC 10 can operate based on the electric power supplied by the fuel cell pack P2. There are several methods for reducing power consumption, but a typical example will be described here. Note that any method other than the method described here may be used as long as it is a method for reducing power consumption, and some of the methods described here may be combined.

The first example is a method of setting the CPU 24 to the low power consumption mode when shifting to the fuel cell mode as shown in FIG. 7 (S11). The operation of the CPU 24 in the low power consumption mode is a well-known technique, and will not be described in detail here.

The second example is a method of not executing an application that cannot be executed in the fuel cell mode or that is not appropriate to be executed in the fuel cell mode. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the user specifies in advance an application that cannot be executed in the fuel cell mode or is not suitable to be executed in the fuel cell mode (S12).

Here, the case where the user specifies in advance has been described. However, the detection may be automatically performed by software, or a corresponding application may be specified in advance at the time of factory shipment. Then, the designated application is disabled so as not to start (S13).

In this embodiment, a conventional office application (such as WORD) and Internet access using a modem 25 (however, moving pictures and music apps cannot be used as described above) can be operated. . These have been determined to be practically executable even with a CPU whose performance has been significantly reduced, and that it is highly necessary to use the CPU for a long period of time while away from home. However, this is merely an example, and it is natural that such design items should be changed in accordance with a change in the power supply / demand balance with the progress of technology and a variety of user expectations.

The third example is a method in which some peripheral devices are not activated.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, some peripheral devices are disabled (S21). In the present embodiment, the DVD reproducing / recording device 26 does not start in the fuel cell mode. The reason is that the power consumption of the DVD reproducing / recording device 26 itself is large, and that the moving image which is the main application using the DVD reproducing / recording device 26
The performance of the PU 24 is fully utilized, and the CPU 24 in the low power consumption mode cannot perform real-time processing.

In the fuel cell mode, neither charging nor discharging (utilization as a power source) of the built-in secondary battery 22 is performed. This is because the built-in secondary battery 22 cannot be relied on in the fuel cell mode, so that the user can surely understand and use this point. It is also to avoid overcharging the battery from the low voltage of the fuel cell.

The switching between the fuel cell mode and the normal mode is performed only when the PC 10 is in the OFF state. This is important from the viewpoint of preventing erroneous operations by the user. That is, the PC 1 operating on the battery in the normal mode
Even if the fuel cell pack 10 is attached to the PC 0, the PC 10 displays the warning message on the screen and continues the operation in the normal mode as it is. By doing so, there is no ambiguity in the interpretation of the fuel cell mode, and user expectations and PC
10 can be prevented from being different from the operation of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a state transition diagram for explaining the mode switching of the notebook PC 10. Specifically, in the present embodiment, this is realized as firmware of the power control microcomputer.

State S40 is an initial state. The entire power control of the conventional notebook PC is included in a frame S44. Here, a power-on sequence in a state S41, an operation sequence in a state S42, and a power-off sequence in a state S43 are shown.

State S40 is a conventional OFF state.
Each of the processing sequences is started by an event such as the power switch being turned on, the AC adapter being connected, the resume condition being satisfied, or the Wake On LAN condition being satisfied. A series of processes executed when the power switch is turned on is collectively illustrated as states S41 to S43.

The state S40 is the only neutral state that can transition between the fuel cell mode and the normal mode. In this state, when it is detected that the fuel cell pack P2 is connected and the fuel cell pack P2 can be used, the state transits to the fuel cell mode OFF state S45. Here, when the power switch is turned on, the PC 10 is started in the fuel cell mode. However, unlike the case of the normal mode such as Li battery driving, before starting the power ON sequence of the PC 10 main body, first, a sequence S46 for starting the fuel cell pack P2 is executed.

Since the manner of starting the fuel cell varies greatly depending on the design of the fuel cell device, the details of the sequence for starting the fuel cell pack P2 will be omitted. In general,
In this step, the temperature of the fuel cell is raised, and a built-in dummy load is connected to the fuel cell to increase the output of the fuel cell to a predetermined value. This is because the fuel cell generally has a very slow load response. When a large load change occurs, it may take about one second until the current is stabilized. Therefore, if the PC is to be started directly by using the fuel cell in a no-load state, there is a problem that sufficient power is not supplied.

When the output of the fuel cell pack P2 becomes sufficiently high, the power supply microcomputer 21 executes a power-on sequence 47 for the notebook PC. This is essentially the same as the conventional power-on sequence 41, but the number of components to be turned on is reduced due to reduced power consumption and functions.

After this state S48, S49, S50
Is almost the same in the fuel cell mode as in the normal mode, and the following description is omitted. The state in the frame S51 in the figure is in the fuel cell mode. In this, PC
In a state where the device 10 is performing any operation, the mode transition is not allowed. After the PC 10 is turned off and the state shifts to the state S45, the mode change is allowed for the first time. Similarly, transition to the fuel cell mode is not permitted while in the normal mode, that is, while in the state in the frame S44. After turning off the PC 10, the user can transition to the fuel cell mode via the neutral mode for the first time.

If the output of the fuel cell pack P2 does not become sufficiently high even after a certain period of time has elapsed, the fuel cell pack P2 in the FC start sequence 46 state notifies an error at the time of starting. Then, FC mode OFF state S
After 45, the state transits to the neutral mode in state S40. At normal temperature, the fuel cell pack P2 functions in the same manner as a normal battery pack, but at present, its performance cannot be sufficiently exhibited at low temperatures. When the AC power supply is not connected, the internal rechargeable battery 22 connected to the power supply unit 20 is used to perform FC control.
Assists startup in mode. Therefore, the fuel cell pack P
If only 2 is connected as a power source, a problem occurs at a low temperature.

Although it can be used for the fuel cell pack P2,
C10 is in the OFF state S45, for example, Wa
When the condition of ke on LAN is satisfied, the operation is performed in the neutral mode in the same manner as when the condition is satisfied. That is, the PC 10 is started only by the external power supply, and the Wake O
The processing of the n LAN is started. In this case, since the normal mode is set, the fuel cell pack P2 is not used as a power source as described above.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such configurations. Within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, those skilled in the art can come up with various modified examples and modified examples, and these modified examples and modified examples are also within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs to.

[0055]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
Even if it is desirable that the fuel cell pack is heated, the fuel cell pack can be heated by a simple and inexpensive mechanism in a PC that is detachably mounted and used as a power supply. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view showing a notebook PC which is an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal circuit configuration of a main unit of the PC shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a fuel cell pack used in the PC shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a relationship between a blowing mechanism provided in the PC shown in FIG. 1 and the fuel cell pack;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the relationship between a blowing mechanism provided in the PC shown in FIG. 1 and a secondary battery pack.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of a power supply microcomputer arranged in the PC shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a first view of the fuel cell mode in the PC shown in FIG. 1;
5 is a flowchart for explaining the example of FIG.

FIG. 8 shows a second example of the fuel cell mode in the PC shown in FIG.
5 is a flowchart for explaining the example of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a third view of the fuel cell mode in the PC shown in FIG. 1;
5 is a flowchart for explaining the example of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a state transition diagram for explaining mode switching of the PC shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Laptop PC, 11 ... Main unit, 12 ... Keyboard, 13 ... Display unit, 15 ... Mounting part, 16 ... Opening, 17 ... AC adapter, 18 ... Power input connector, 19 ... Power supply connector, 20 ... Power supply part, Reference numeral 21: power supply microcomputer, 22: built-in secondary battery, 23: main board, 24: CPU, 25: modem, 26: DVD reproducing / recording device, 31: blower mechanism, 32: radiator, 33: blower, 34: air Inlet, 35: Guide wall (guide duct) 36: Enclosure plate, 41: Identification means, 42: Pin, 44: Detection means, 51: Battery cell, 52: Fuel tank, 53: Waste liquid tank, 54: Air supply port 55, an exhaust port, 56, a ventilation path, 61, a notch, 66, a bypass path, P1, a secondary battery pack, P2, a fuel cell pack.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Minoru Kishi 2-9-9 Suehirocho, Ome-shi, Tokyo F-term in Toshiba Ome Plant Co., Ltd. 5H027 AA08 CC02 DD03

Claims (8)

[Claims] A main body unit having a data processing unit; a power supply connector for connecting to a fuel cell pack serving as a power supply; and a power supply connector formed on the main body unit for detachably mounting the fuel cell pack. A mounting portion, wherein the main unit is blown to the heat radiating portion in the main unit to obtain hot air for mounting, and the hot air is introduced into the mounting portion to mount the fuel mounted on the mounting portion. An information processing device, comprising: a blower mechanism provided in the main unit to heat the battery pack. A blower for taking in air from an air intake formed in the main body unit; a guide wall forming a blower passage from the heat radiating section to the mounting section;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: 3. The guide wall is provided with an enclosing plate that engages with a casing of the fuel cell pack mounted on the mounting portion to prevent the hot air from escaping from the air passage, at an end on the mounting portion side. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information processing apparatus includes the information processing apparatus. 4. The fuel cell pack includes an air supply port and an air exhaust port that communicate with each other through a heat exchange ventilation passage formed therein, and the air blowing mechanism includes the fuel cell mounted on the mounting portion. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hot air is supplied to the air supply port of the battery pack. 5. The information according to claim 4, wherein the mounting portion is formed so that the exhaust port of the fuel cell pack mounted on the mounting portion faces the outside of the main unit. Processing equipment. 6. A fuel cell pack, comprising: a battery cell unit; a fuel storage unit for storing methanol used as fuel in the battery cell unit; and a waste liquid storage unit for storing waste liquid generated in the battery cell unit. The blower mechanism blows the hot air to the air supply port of the fuel cell pack mounted on the mounting part so as to promote the discharge of the waste liquid from the battery cell part to the waste liquid storage part. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information is supplied. 7. The mounting unit is formed to selectively mount either a secondary battery pack or the fuel cell pack, and the main unit is mounted on the secondary battery pack mounted on the mounting unit. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: a bypass configured to release the hot air supplied from the air blowing mechanism to the outside of the main unit. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said heat radiating unit is a heat radiating unit of said data processing unit.