JP2005309962A - Information processor and method for controlling cooling fan provided to information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To contrive efficient temperature suppression by a cooling fan and noise reduction generated by rotation of the cooling fan, etc. <P>SOLUTION: The information processor is constituted so that temperature of a central processing unit is detected, luminance of a light source is detected and the number of rotations of the cooling fan is controlled based on the detected temperature of the central processing unit and the luminance of the light source by providing a display 3 on which a display picture having various kinds of information outputted based on processing of the central processing unit 5 is displayed, the light source 11 which emits light for displaying information on the display and whose luminance can be changed, a cooling fan 7 for suppressing temperature rise and a control means 8 for controlling the number of rotations of the cooling fan. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a technical field regarding a method for controlling a cooling fan provided in the information processing apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technical field for improving efficiency of temperature suppression by a cooling fan and reducing noise generated due to rotation of the cooling fan.

  An information processing apparatus typified by a personal computer generally has a display, and a display screen having various information is displayed on the display. As the display, for example, a liquid crystal display is widely used in consideration of recent downsizing and thinning of information processing apparatuses.

  The display is irradiated with video light emitted from the light source and a display screen having various information is displayed. For such a display, an increase in temperature due to heat generated at the time of driving is suppressed and an appropriate operating temperature is set. It is necessary to cool so that it becomes.

  Some conventional information processing apparatuses use a cooling fan in order to suppress the temperature rise of the display (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the information processing apparatus (projection apparatus) described in Patent Document 1, in order to improve the driving efficiency of the cooling fan and reduce the noise, the number of rotations of the cooling fan is set according to the change in the level of the video signal. I try to change it.

JP 2002-23267 A

  However, the information processing apparatus is provided with various units that can generate heat in addition to the display when it is driven. In particular, a central processing unit (CPU) that performs overall operation control of the information processing apparatus, data processing, and the like. ) Has a large calorific value.

  Therefore, it is not possible to sufficiently improve the driving efficiency of the cooling fan only by suppressing the temperature rise of the display.

  Therefore, the information processing apparatus of the present invention and the cooling fan control method provided in the information processing apparatus overcome the above-described problems, and improve the efficiency of temperature suppression by the cooling fan and the noise generated with the rotation of the cooling fan. It is an object to reduce the amount.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the information processing apparatus of the present invention displays a display screen having various information output based on the processing of the central processing unit, and displays information on the display. A light source capable of changing the brightness while irradiating light, a cooling fan for suppressing a temperature rise, and a control means for controlling the rotation speed of the cooling fan are provided to detect the temperature of the central processing unit. In addition, the brightness of the light source is detected, and the rotation speed of the cooling fan is controlled based on the detected temperature of the central processing unit and the brightness of the light source.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the cooling fan control method provided in the information processing apparatus of the present invention detects the temperature of the central processing unit and the brightness of the light source, and detects the detected temperature of the central processing unit. The number of rotations of the cooling fan for suppressing the temperature rise based on the brightness of the light source is controlled by the control means.

  Therefore, in the information processing apparatus of the present invention and the cooling fan control method provided in the information processing apparatus, the rotation speed of the cooling fan is changed according to the temperature of the central processing unit and the luminance of the light source.

  The information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a display on which a display screen having various information output based on the processing of the central processing unit is displayed, and irradiates light to display information on the display and changes brightness. A light source capable of cooling, a cooling fan for suppressing temperature rise, and a control means for controlling the number of rotations of the cooling fan, detecting the temperature of the central processing unit and detecting the luminance of the light source, The number of rotations of the cooling fan is controlled based on the detected temperature of the central processing unit and the brightness of the light source.

  Therefore, it is possible to improve the driving efficiency of the cooling fan and reduce the generation of noise accompanying the rotation of the cooling fan.

  Further, by improving the driving efficiency of the cooling fan, it is possible to save battery power consumption when the battery is driven.

  In the invention described in claim 2, an embedded controller is used as the control means, the temperature of the central processing unit and the luminance of the light source are read by the embedded controller, and the set is based on the read temperature and luminance. Since the correction temperature value is calculated by the embedded controller and the rotation speed of the cooling fan is controlled based on the calculated correction temperature value, the temperature control can be easily performed.

  In the invention described in claim 3, since the display is attached to the casing and the central processing unit is arranged inside the casing, temperature control is easy, temperature control is facilitated, and a cooling fan is provided. The drive efficiency can be improved.

  According to the cooling fan control method provided in the information processing apparatus of the present invention, a display on which a display screen having various information output based on the processing of the central processing unit is displayed, and information is displayed on the display. Is a cooling fan control method provided in an information processing apparatus provided with a light source capable of irradiating light and capable of changing the brightness, and performs temperature detection of the central processing unit and brightness detection of the light source, The number of rotations of the cooling fan for suppressing the temperature rise based on the detected temperature of the central processing unit and the brightness of the light source is controlled by the control means.

  Accordingly, it is possible to improve the driving efficiency of the cooling fan and reduce the generation of noise accompanying the rotation of the cooling fan.

  Further, by improving the driving efficiency of the cooling fan, it is possible to save battery power consumption when the battery is driven.

  The best mode of the information processing apparatus of the present invention and the cooling fan control method provided in the information processing apparatus will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The information processing apparatus of the present invention can be widely applied to various information processing apparatuses such as an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a network terminal, a portable information terminal, and a workstation. The cooling fan control method provided in the information processing apparatus can be widely applied to the cooling fan control method provided in the information processing apparatus as described above.

  In the best mode shown below, the information processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to a personal computer, and the cooling fan control method provided in the information processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to the cooling fan control method provided in the personal computer. Is.

  The information processing apparatus 1 is configured by arranging necessary parts in a housing 2 (see FIG. 1). The housing 2 is formed in, for example, a horizontally long flat rectangular shape, and a display 3, for example, a liquid crystal display is provided on the front surface 2a.

  In the information processing apparatus 1, the display 3 is a touch panel (tablet), and a predetermined position on the display screen displayed on the display 3 is tapped with a finger or a dedicated input pen (stylus) (not shown). Various operations such as a selection operation and an input operation can be performed.

  A plurality of operation buttons 4, 4,... Are provided at predetermined positions of the housing 2. As the operation buttons 4, 4,..., For example, a center button 4a, a left button 4b, a right button 4c, a zoom button 4d, a rotation button 4e, an enter button 4f, a cursor key 4g, a pointer 4h, a function selection button 4i, An activation button 4j, a brightness change button 4k, and the like are provided.

  The center button 4a, the left button 4b, and the right button 4c are buttons corresponding to the respective buttons of the mouse, the zoom button 4d is a button for enlarging and reducing the display screen displayed on the display 3, and the rotation button 4e is a display button. The button that rotates the screen by 90 °, the enter button 4f corresponds to the enter key of the keyboard, and is a button that executes and confirms the operation. The cursor key 4g moves the cursor displayed on the display 3 up and down, left and right, etc. The pointer 4h is a button for moving the pointer displayed on the display 3, and the function selection button 4i is a button for changing the output volume, switching the output to an external display, etc. Yes, the activation button 4j is a button for activating specific software, and the luminance change button 4k is a button for changing the luminance of the display 3.

  A motherboard (not shown) is arranged inside the housing 2, and the motherboard performs various operations such as various electronic components for performing predetermined processing, for example, overall operation control of the information processing apparatus 1 and data processing. A central processing unit (CPU) 5 is mounted (see FIG. 2). A temperature sensor 6 is attached to the central processing unit 5, and the temperature of the CPU is detected by the temperature sensor 6.

  A cooling fan 7 for suppressing a temperature rise inside the housing 2 is disposed inside the housing 2, and the cooling fan 7 is attached to a predetermined position of the motherboard, for example.

  The information processing apparatus 1 includes an embedded controller (EC) 8 that functions as a control unit that controls the rotational speed of the cooling fan 7, and a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) written in a ROM (Read Only Memory). 9) A utility 10a on an OS (Operating System) 10 is provided. The built-in controller 8 also functions as a software keyboard as a virtual input screen that can be displayed on the display 3 and a controller for the operation buttons 4, 4,.

  The display 3 is irradiated with video light emitted from a light source (backlight) 11 to display a display screen having various information. The light source 11 is disposed between the mother board and the display 3 inside the housing 2.

  In the information processing apparatus 1 configured as described above, the user can change the luminance of the light source 11 as necessary. The brightness of the light source 11 is changed by operating the brightness change button 4k to display the brightness change screen 12 (see FIG. 3) on the display 3, and selecting a desired brightness with the cursor 13.

  In the brightness change screen 12, for example, a display bar 12a representing 9 levels of brightness numbers called from the utility 10a is set, and the brightness number selected by the user is notified from the utility 10a to the BIOS 9 and notified. The built-in controller 8 is notified of the brightness value of the brightness value table (see FIG. 4) of the BIOS 9 corresponding to the number. The embedded controller 8 controls the light source 11 so that the brightness value notified from the BIOS 9 is obtained. Therefore, the built-in controller 8 also functions as a brightness control unit that controls the brightness of the light source 11.

  Below, the temperature control mechanism of the information processing apparatus 1 is demonstrated (refer FIG. 5).

  (S1) In the information processing apparatus 1, as described above, the temperature of the central processing unit 5 is detected by the temperature sensor 6 at the time of driving, and this detected temperature is periodically read by the built-in controller 8. .

  (S2) At the same time, the built-in controller 8 reads the currently set luminance value of the light source 11.

  (S3) Based on the luminance value read in (S2), the built-in controller 8 calculates a corrected temperature value shown in the luminance value table shown in FIG.

  (S4) Based on the corrected temperature value calculated in (S3), the detected temperature read in (S1) is corrected by the built-in controller 8, and the corrected detected temperature is calculated. For example, when the detected temperature read in (S1) is 30 ° C. and the corrected temperature value calculated in (S3) is −3 ° C., detection is performed after correction at 30 ° C.−3 ° C. The temperature is calculated to be 27 ° C.

  (S5) An appropriate rotational speed of the cooling fan 7 is calculated based on the corrected detected temperature calculated in (S4). The number of rotations of the cooling fan 7 is calculated by a preset calculation formula unique to the information processing apparatus 1, and this calculation formula is used to change the design state of the internal configuration of the housing 2 and the heat generation state of the central processing unit 5. An equation that optimizes the temperature state corresponding to the above is used.

  (S6) The cooling fan 7 is controlled by the built-in controller 8 so that the cooling fan 7 rotates at the rotation speed calculated in (S5). Accordingly, when the detected temperature after correction is high, the cooling fan 7 is rotated at a high speed, and when the detected temperature after correction is low, the cooling fan 7 is rotated at a low speed.

  As described above, in the information processing apparatus 1, since the rotational speed of the cooling fan 7 is controlled based on the detected temperature of the central processing unit 5 and the luminance of the light source 11, the cooling fan 7 is driven. The efficiency can be improved and the generation of noise accompanying the rotation of the cooling fan 7 can be reduced.

  Further, by improving the driving efficiency of the cooling fan 7, it is possible to save battery power consumption when the battery is driven.

  Furthermore, in the information processing apparatus 1, all of the reading of the temperature of the central processing unit 5 and the luminance of the light source 11, the calculation of the corrected temperature value, the calculation of the corrected detected temperature, and the control of the rotation speed of the cooling fan 7 are all combined. Since it is performed by the embedded controller 8, temperature control can be easily performed.

  In addition, the information processing apparatus 1 has a configuration in which the display 3 is attached to the casing 2 and the central processing unit 5 is arranged inside the same casing 2, so that temperature control is easy to perform, Simplification and improvement of driving efficiency of the cooling fan 6 can be achieved.

  In the above description, the temperature control is performed by reading the luminance value of the light source 11 that is currently set. However, for example, a temperature sensor is attached to the light source 11 as in the case of the central processing unit 5. It is also possible to detect the temperature of 11 and perform temperature control. However, unlike the central processing unit 5, the light source 11 does not change greatly in calorific value according to the processing content, and the calorific value can be estimated by reading the luminance value. Even if it is not used, sufficient temperature control can be performed.

  The specific shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above-described best mode are merely examples of the implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited by these. It should not be interpreted in a general way.

2 to 5 show the best mode of the present invention, and this figure is a perspective view of the information processing apparatus. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of information processing apparatus. It is a front view of an information processor showing a state where a brightness change screen is displayed on a display. It is a figure which shows a luminance value table. It is a figure which shows the procedure of temperature control.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information processing apparatus, 2 ... Housing | casing, 3 ... Display, 5 ... Central processing unit, 7 ... Cooling fan, 8 ... Built-in controller (control means), 11 ... Light source

Claims (4)

A display on which a display screen having various information output based on the processing of the central processing unit is displayed;
A light source that emits light to display information on the display and can change brightness;
A cooling fan to suppress the temperature rise,
Control means for controlling the number of rotations of the cooling fan,
Information processing characterized in that the temperature of the central processing unit is detected and the luminance of the light source is detected, and the number of rotations of the cooling fan is controlled based on the detected temperature of the central processing unit and the luminance of the light source. apparatus. Using an embedded controller as the control means,
Read the temperature of the central processing unit and the brightness of the light source by the built-in controller,
The correction temperature value is calculated by an embedded controller based on the read temperature and luminance, and the number of revolutions of the cooling fan is controlled based on the calculated correction temperature value. Information processing device. Attach the display to the case,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the central processing unit is arranged inside the casing. A display on which a display screen having various information output based on the processing of the central processing unit is displayed, and a light source that emits light and can change brightness in order to display information on the display. A cooling fan control method provided in the information processing apparatus,
Perform temperature detection of the central processing unit and brightness of the light source,
The cooling provided in the information processing apparatus is characterized in that the number of rotations of the cooling fan for controlling the temperature rise is controlled by the control means based on the detected temperature of the central processing unit and the luminance of the light source. Fan control method.

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