JP2004199538A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic apparatus continuously operable in a stable state without reducing cooling capability. <P>SOLUTION: When the revolutions of a basic cooling fan 44 are below a predetermined threshold, a switching control device 43 outputs a switching control signal to stop the drive of the fan 44 and start the drive of a spare cooling fan 45. When the revolutions of the cooling fan 45 is below a predetermined threshold, the control device 43 outputs a switching control signal to start the drive of the fan 44, so that both the cooling fan 44 and the cooling fan 45 are driven. The failure of the spare cooling fan is then reported. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic device equipped with a cooling device for cooling a heat generating portion such as a semiconductor package.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The speed of electronic devices such as personal computers has been increasing year by year, and a cooling fan having a large cooling capacity has been attached to a heating unit such as a power supply unit and a CPU for heat dissipation measures to keep the temperature of the heating unit below the limit temperature. . For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-141061 discloses a system in which when a main cooling fan fails, it is temporarily rotated by a small preliminary cooling fan to lower the DC power supply output by a certain level.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-141061
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional device, the cooling effect is lower than that of the main cooling fan because the cooling is temporarily performed by the auxiliary cooling fan, which is smaller than the main cooling fan, so that the system needs to be stopped immediately. There is.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that can be continuously operated in a stable state without lowering the cooling capacity.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device according to the present invention includes a heat radiating member attached to a heat generating component, and a first cooling unit provided adjacent to the heat radiating member and sending cooling air to the heat radiating member. A fan, a second cooling fan provided adjacent to the heat dissipating member and configured to send cooling air to the heat dissipating member, first detecting means for detecting a rotation speed of the first cooling fan, First determining means for determining whether or not the number of rotations of the first cooling fan detected by the first detecting means reaches a preset reference value; and Control means for controlling to drive the second cooling fan when it is determined that the rotation speed of the cooling fan has reached the reference value.
[0007]
In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device according to the present invention includes a heat radiating member attached to a heat generating component, and a first cooling unit provided adjacent to the heat radiating member and sending cooling air to the heat radiating member. A fan, a second cooling fan provided adjacent to the heat dissipating member and configured to send cooling air to the heat dissipating member, first detecting means for detecting a rotation speed of the first cooling fan, First determining means for determining whether or not the number of rotations of the first cooling fan detected by the first detecting means reaches a preset reference value; and When it is determined that the number of rotations of the cooling fan has reached the reference value, a first control unit that stops driving of the first cooling fan and controls to drive the second cooling fan; With the driving of the second cooling fan, the second cooling fan Second detecting means for detecting the rotational speed of the cooling fan, and determining whether the rotational speed of the second cooling fan detected by the second detecting means reaches a preset reference value. If the second judging means judges that the rotation speed of the second cooling fan has reached the reference value, the first judging means keeps the driving of the second cooling fan. A second control unit for controlling driving of the cooling fan, and a failure of the cooling fan when the second determination unit determines that the rotation speed of the second cooling fan has reached the reference value. And a notifying means for notifying to the outside.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to all electronic devices that hold heat-generating components such as semiconductor packages.
[0009]
In the present embodiment, a notebook personal computer 1A and a PC server 1B are used as typical electronic devices, their external appearances will be described individually, and the internal configuration will be collectively described as the computer 1 using the same drawings.
[0010]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a notebook personal computer 1A (hereinafter referred to as a notebook personal computer) which is an example of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a PC server 1B that is an example of the electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[0011]
The main body 10 of the notebook computer 1A shown in FIG. 1 has an upper case 2 made of resin and a lower case 3 made of resin. The display device 4 is connected to the rear part of the main body 10 via a pair of hinge portions 5a and 5b so as to be openable and closable. The display device 4 has a built-in LCD 6 for displaying data. An opening 8 is formed on a side surface of the main body 10.
[0012]
The keyboard 9 is arranged on the upper surface of the main body 10. An armrest 7 is formed on a front portion of the upper surface of the main body 10 (the front side of the keyboard 9) so that a user can place a palm when inputting data to the keyboard 9.
[0013]
The PC server 1B shown in FIG. 2 is used by connecting to a desktop computer, a printer, or the like. The speed of the PC server 1B is increasing year by year, and a cooling device 30 is mounted for cooling the CPU as a measure against heat radiation.
[0014]
The PC server 1B is provided with an intake port 31 at the lower part on the front side and an exhaust port 32 at the upper part on the rear side, and generates convection of air between the intake port 31 and the exhaust port 32 by using a cooling device 30 described later. ing.
[0015]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the cooling device 30 in the computer 1 (1A, 1B) shown in FIGS.
[0016]
As shown, the cooling device 30 of the computer 1 includes a CPU 41, a memory 42, a switching control device 43, a basic cooling fan 44, a spare cooling fan 45, a sensor 146, a sensor 247, a power supply device 48, and the like. ing.
[0017]
The CPU 41 controls the entire computer 1, further monitors the rotation speeds of the basic cooling fan 44 and the auxiliary cooling fan 45, and outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation speed of the cooling fan to the switching control device 43. Drive control of the basic cooling fan 44 and the preliminary cooling fan 45 is performed.
[0018]
The memory 42 is a storage area for programs to be executed by the CPU 41, and is a work area of the CPU 41 and the like. Further, the memory 42 stores a threshold value of the number of rotations of the basic cooling fan 44 and the auxiliary cooling fan 45.
[0019]
The rotation speed threshold value is a reference value corresponding to the lower limit of the rotation speed at which the basic cooling fan 44 or the preliminary cooling fan 45 cannot sufficiently cool the heat-generating component to be cooled. In the present embodiment, the same threshold value is used for the basic cooling fan 44 and the auxiliary cooling fan 45. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may have different threshold values.
[0020]
The switching control device 43 outputs a switching control signal for instructing the basic cooling fan 44 and the auxiliary cooling fan 45 to rotate / stop the cooling fan in accordance with the output signal from the CPU 41.
[0021]
That is, when the output signal from the CPU 41 indicates that the rotation speed of the basic cooling fan 44 is equal to or less than the threshold value, the switching control device 43 stops the rotation of the basic cooling fan 44 and A control signal for switching to start driving is output.
[0022]
If the output signal from the CPU 41 indicates that the rotation speed of the auxiliary cooling fan 45 is equal to or less than the threshold value, the switching control device 43 continues the rotation of the auxiliary cooling fan 45 and outputs the basic cooling fan 44. And outputs a control signal for switching to start the rotation drive of.
[0023]
The basic cooling fan 44 is a single cooling fan capable of sufficiently cooling the heat-generating component to be cooled, and performs a rotation / stop operation of the cooling fan in accordance with a switching control signal from the switching control device 43.
[0024]
The pre-cooling fan 45 is a single cooling fan capable of sufficiently cooling the heat-generating component to be cooled, and performs the operation of rotating / stopping the cooling fan according to a switching control signal from the switching control device 43. In this embodiment, the pre-cooling fan 45 has the same cooling capacity as the basic cooling fan 44.
[0025]
The sensor 146 detects the rotation speed of the basic cooling fan 44, and outputs a signal indicating the detected rotation speed to the CPU 41. The sensor 247 detects the number of revolutions of the pre-cooling fan 45 and outputs a signal indicating the detected number of revolutions to the CPU 41. The power supply device 48 generates and outputs an operation power supply for the entire system including the cooling device 30.
[0026]
Next, the structure of the cooling device 30 of the computer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating the structure of the cooling device 30 as viewed from the side, and FIG. 4B is a transparent top view illustrating the structure of the cooling device 30 according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a transparent top view showing the structure of another embodiment of the cooling device 30.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 4, a CPU 41 as a heating member is mounted on a circuit board 51 built in the computer 1. Then, a heat sink 52 as a heat radiating member is mounted on a surface of the CPU 41 opposite to the circuit board 51 via a heat transfer member. The heat sink 52 has a large number of radiating fins, and the heat generated by the CPU 41 is transmitted to the radiating fins of the heat sink 52 to suppress a rise in the temperature of the CPU 41.
[0028]
A fan duct 53 is formed at a position adjacent to the heat sink 52, and a basic cooling fan 44 and a preliminary cooling fan 45 are arranged via the fan duct 53. In this embodiment, the basic cooling fan 44 and the auxiliary cooling fan 45 are arranged adjacent to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and they may be separately arranged at different positions via a fan duct.
[0029]
With such a configuration, by rotating the basic cooling fan 44, air flows in the direction of arrow A, flows between the radiating fins of the heat sink 52, flows in the direction of arrow B1 in the fan duct 53, and becomes a discharge portion. It flows in the direction of arrow B2 via the cooling fan 44.
[0030]
Further, by rotating the preliminary cooling fan 45, air flows in the direction of arrow A, flows between the radiation fins of the heat sink 52, flows in the fan duct 53 in the direction of arrow C1, and causes the preliminary cooling fan 45 serving as a discharge unit to flow. And flows in the direction of arrow C2.
[0031]
In addition, by rotating both the basic cooling fan 44 and the preliminary cooling fan 45, air flows in the direction of arrow A, flows between the radiation fins of the heat sink 52, and divides in the fan duct 53 into directions of arrows B1 and C1. On the one hand, it flows in the direction of arrow B2 via a basic cooling fan 44 serving as a discharge unit, and on the other hand, flows in the direction of arrow C2 via a preliminary cooling fan 45 serving as a discharge unit.
[0032]
In particular, when the cooling device 30 shown in FIG. 5 is mounted on, for example, the notebook personal computer 1A shown in FIG. 1, when the circuit board 51 and the cooling device 30 are mounted on the main body 10, the discharge unit of the cooling device 30 The cooling fans 44 and 45 are arranged so that the directions of the arrows B2 and C2 of the cooling fans 44 and 45 face the opening 8.
[0033]
When the cooling device 30 shown in FIG. 5 is mounted on, for example, the PC server 1B, the cooling effect is better if the cooling device 30 is arranged in the direction of the cooling device 30 as shown in FIG.
[0034]
Next, in another embodiment of the cooling device 30 shown in FIG. 5, the arrangement of each part is the same as that shown in FIG. 4, but the direction in which the air flows through the cooling fins is reversed.
[0035]
When the basic cooling fan 44 is rotationally driven, air flows in the direction of arrow D1 and flows in the fan duct 53 in the direction of arrow D2 through the basic cooling fan 44 serving as an inflow portion, and heat radiation of the heat sink 52 serving as a discharge portion It flows between the fins and flows in the direction of arrow F.
[0036]
Further, by rotating the pre-cooling fan 45, air flows in the direction of arrow E1, flows in the fan duct 53 through the pre-cooling fan 45 serving as the inflow portion in the direction of arrow E2, and the heat sink 52 serving as the discharge portion It flows between the radiation fins and flows in the direction of arrow F.
[0037]
Further, by rotating both the basic cooling fan 44 and the preliminary cooling fan 45, air flows in the directions of the arrow D1 and the arrow E1, and flows through the fan duct 53 through the basic cooling fan 44 serving as one inflow portion. It flows in the direction of arrow D2, flows in the direction of arrow E2 in the fan duct 53 via the pre-cooling fan 45 serving as the other inflow portion, flows between the radiation fins of the heat sink 52 serving as the discharge portion, and flows in the direction of arrow F. It has become.
[0038]
In particular, when the cooling device 30 shown in FIG. 5 is mounted on, for example, the notebook personal computer 1A shown in FIG. 1, when the circuit board 51 and the cooling device 30 are mounted on the main body 10, the discharge unit of the cooling device 30 The fan duct 53 is arranged so that the direction of arrow F is connected to the opening 8.
[0039]
When the cooling device 30 shown in FIG. 5 is mounted on, for example, the PC server 1B, it is better to dispose the cooling device 30 in a direction opposite to the mounting direction of the cooling device 30 shown in FIG. Good cooling effect.
[0040]
Next, processing related to switching control of the cooling fan will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.
[0041]
When the computer is operating and the basic cooling fan 44 is driven, the CPU 41 monitors the number of rotations of the basic cooling fan 44 based on the output signal from the sensor 1, and monitors the number of rotations stored in the memory 42. It is checked whether it is below the threshold (ST11).
[0042]
As a result of monitoring in ST11, when it is determined that the rotation speed of the basic cooling fan 44 is equal to or lower than the threshold (Yes in ST12), the CPU 41 changes the output signal to the switching control device 43, and The switching control from the basic cooling fan 44 to the preliminary cooling fan 45 is instructed.
[0043]
Upon detecting a change in the output signal from the CPU 41, the switching control device 43 stops driving the basic cooling fan 44 and sends a switching control signal indicating that the auxiliary cooling fan 45 is to be driven, to the basic cooling fan 44 and the auxiliary cooling fan. 45 (ST13).
[0044]
The driving of the basic cooling fan 44 is stopped based on a switching control signal input from the switching control device 43. Further, the preliminary cooling fan 45 starts driving based on a switching control signal input from the switching control device 43.
[0045]
With the start of driving of the pre-cooling fan 45, the CPU 41 monitors the number of revolutions of the pre-cooling fan 45 based on the output from the sensor 2 while the computer 1 is operating. (ST14).
[0046]
As a result of monitoring in ST14, when it is determined that the rotation speed of the pre-cooling fan 45 is equal to or less than the threshold value (Yes in ST15), the CPU 41 changes the output signal to the switching control device 43, Instruct the switching control to drive both the basic cooling fan 44 and the preliminary cooling fan 45.
[0047]
Upon detecting a change in the output signal from the CPU 41, the switching control device 43 outputs a switching control signal indicating that the driving of the basic cooling fan 44 is started while continuing to drive the preliminary cooling fan 45 to the basic cooling fan 44. (ST16).
[0048]
The basic cooling fan 44 starts driving based on a switching control signal input from the switching control device 43. The pre-cooling fan 45 is continuously driven based on the switching control signal continuously input from the switching control device 43.
[0049]
Then, the CPU 41 outputs a notification signal, and controls to notify the failure of the pre-cooling fan 45 to the outside using, for example, the LCD 6 (ST17).
[0050]
As described above, in this embodiment, a plurality of small cooling fans are provided for the heat radiating member attached to the heat-generating component such as the CPU, and the cooling performance is reduced by monitoring the rotation speed of the cooling fan in use. Upon detection, when the number of revolutions falls below the specified value and the cooling capacity falls below the specified value, switching to another cooling fan having the same cooling capacity is controlled.
[0051]
Also, by monitoring the rotation speed of the other cooling fans that have been started to drive by performing switching control, a decrease in cooling performance is detected, and when the rotation speed falls below the specified value and the cooling capacity falls below the specified value, the same applies. If there is no other cooling fan having the cooling capacity of, the cooling fan with the reduced cooling capacity is driven at the same time to cool the heat generating member and notify that the cooling fan has failed. are doing.
[0052]
Thereby, there is an effect that continuous operation can be performed in a stable state without lowering the cooling capacity for the heat-generating components. In addition, since a heat radiating member is attached to the heat-generating component to perform cooling with a plurality of small cooling fans, the size, cost, and noise can be reduced as compared with the system fan.
[0053]
In the present embodiment, two cooling fans, the basic cooling fan 44 and the auxiliary cooling fan 45, are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, if the heat-generating component can be cooled by another cooling fan having the same cooling capacity when the temperature decreases, the effect of the present invention can be obtained.
[0054]
In this embodiment, the CPU 41 is used as the heat-generating component. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is effective for a semiconductor package that generates heat.
[0055]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, continuous operation can be performed in a stable state without lowering the cooling capacity.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view showing an external configuration of a notebook personal computer 1A according to an electronic apparatus of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a PC server 1B according to the electronic apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a cooling device 30.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a cooling device 30.
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the structure of another embodiment of the cooling device 30.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a cooling fan switching process in the cooling device 30;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Electronic equipment, computer 1A Notebook type personal computer (notebook type personal computer)
1B PC server 8 Opening 30 Cooling device 41 CPU
44 Basic cooling fan 45 Preliminary cooling fan 51 Circuit board 52 Heat sink 53 Fan duct

Claims (6)

A heat dissipating member attached to the heat generating component;
A first cooling fan that is provided adjacent to the heat radiating member and sends cooling air to the heat radiating member;
A second cooling fan that is provided adjacent to the heat dissipation member and sends cooling air to the heat dissipation member;
First detecting means for detecting a rotation speed of the first cooling fan;
First determining means for determining whether or not the rotation speed of the first cooling fan detected by the first detecting means reaches a preset reference value;
Control means for controlling to drive the second cooling fan when the first determination means determines that the rotation speed of the first cooling fan has reached the reference value;
An electronic device comprising: When the first determining means determines that the rotation speed of the first cooling fan has reached the reference value, the control means stops driving the first cooling fan, and stops the second cooling fan. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is controlled to drive a cooling fan. A second detection unit that detects a rotation speed of the second cooling fan with driving of the second cooling fan;
Second determining means for determining whether or not the rotation speed of the second cooling fan detected by the second detecting means reaches a preset reference value;
Has further,
When the second determining means determines that the rotation speed of the second cooling fan has reached the reference value, the control means controls the first cooling fan while maintaining the driving of the second cooling fan. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the electronic device is controlled to drive a cooling fan. A second detection unit that detects a rotation speed of the second cooling fan with driving of the second cooling fan;
Second determining means for determining whether or not the rotation speed of the second cooling fan detected by the second detecting means reaches a preset reference value;
Notification means for notifying the failure of the cooling fan to the outside when the second determination means determines that the rotation speed of the second cooling fan has reached the reference value;
The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: The first cooling fan and the second cooling fan are disposed adjacent to each other, and share a part of a ventilation duct formed between the first and second cooling ducts and the heat radiation member. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is used. A heat dissipating member attached to the heat generating component;
A first cooling fan that is provided adjacent to the heat radiating member and sends cooling air to the heat radiating member;
A second cooling fan that is provided adjacent to the heat dissipation member and sends cooling air to the heat dissipation member;
First detecting means for detecting a rotation speed of the first cooling fan;
First determining means for determining whether or not the rotation speed of the first cooling fan detected by the first detecting means reaches a preset reference value;
When the first judging means judges that the rotation speed of the first cooling fan has reached the reference value, the driving of the first cooling fan is stopped and the second cooling fan is driven. First control means for controlling
A second detection unit that detects a rotation speed of the second cooling fan with driving of the second cooling fan;
Second determining means for determining whether or not the rotation speed of the second cooling fan detected by the second detecting means reaches a preset reference value;
When the second determination means determines that the rotation speed of the second cooling fan has reached the reference value, the first cooling fan is driven while the drive of the second cooling fan is maintained. Second control means for controlling
Notification means for notifying the failure of the cooling fan to the outside when the second determination means determines that the rotation speed of the second cooling fan has reached the reference value;
An electronic device comprising:

Images