JP2006094382A - Electronic apparatus, cooler, battery charger, cradle, and electronic apparatus system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform cooling the inside of an electronic apparatus such as a digital camera, without causing problems such as apparatus enlargement power consumption increase, disability in use at non-carry times, complications in handling. <P>SOLUTION: A cooling unit 20 formed from a heat storage material is housed in a digital camera 3. If a cooling lid 23 of the digital camera 3 is opened, the cooling unit 20 is exposed to the outside. If the digital camera 3 is set to a cooler 4, while opening the cooling lid 23, a cooling member 47 including a Peltier element 51 is in contact with the cooling unit 20. The cooling member 47 absorbs heat of the heat storage material by the Peltier element 51, and stores cold heat. If the cooling lid 23 is closed, after cooling of the cooling unit 20, cold air discharged from the cooling unit 20 flows through a ventilation hole 33 into the digital camera 3 and cools a main substrate 29, a power supply substrate 30, a solid-state imaging apparatus 27 and the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling technique for electronic equipment.

  A digital still camera (hereinafter abbreviated as a digital camera) that captures subject light with a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD or C-MOS, converts the image signal obtained thereby into digital image data, and stores it in a storage medium such as a memory. Is popular. In a digital camera, the temperature of a solid-state imaging device, a drive circuit of the solid-state imaging device, and the like rise when imaging is performed. This is due to heat generated when charges accumulated in a large number of light receiving elements provided in the solid-state imaging device are transferred using a transfer path, and the temperature rises in proportion to the imaging time.

  In the solid-state imaging device, a so-called dark current is generated in which charges are accumulated in the light receiving element even when light is not received. This dark current is taken into the accumulated charge by actually receiving light by the light receiving element, so when shooting a night scene with a slow shutter or the like, the pixel corresponding to the light receiving element on which the dark current rides becomes a light spot. The S / N ratio of the photographed image is deteriorated. This dark current is known to increase as the temperature of the solid-state imaging device increases. For example, when the temperature of the solid-state imaging device increases by 10 °, the dark current increases more than twice.

In order to eliminate the adverse effect of dark current due to the temperature rise of the solid-state imaging device, a video camera has been invented in which the air in the main body case is forcibly exhausted by an electric fan and air-cooled (for example, patent document) 1). Further, a digital camera has been invented in which a heat conduction plate of a cooling unit is inserted and brought into contact with a solid-state imaging device, and the solid-state imaging device is cooled by a Peltier element via the heat conduction plate (for example, Patent Document 2). reference). In addition, as a device for cooling an article, a cold storage container using a refrigerant such as dry ice (for example, see Patent Literature 3), a cold insulation device using a Peltier element (for example, see Patent Literature 4), and the like are known. .
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-285441 JP 2003-304420 A JP 2004-150735 A JP 2001-021249 A

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to increase the size of the housing in order to improve the circulation of air in the camera. Furthermore, noise from the electric fan and battery consumption due to an increase in power consumption are also problems. In the invention described in Patent Document 2, the solid-state imaging device cannot be cooled when the cooling unit is not carried, and when the digital camera and the cooling unit are carried, it is complicated due to an increase in carrying items. There was a problem that would increase.

  The present invention is for solving the above-mentioned problems, such as increasing the size of the device, increasing power consumption, unusable when not carried, troublesome handling, etc. The purpose is to cool the inside of electronic equipment.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electronic device according to the present invention includes a housing in which an electronic device is incorporated, a cooling unit that is incorporated in the housing and is formed of a heat storage material that cools the electronic device, and the housing. An insertion opening that is provided on the body and into which a cooling device that contacts the cooling unit and accumulates cold heat is inserted, and a cooling lid that opens and closes the insertion opening.

  Further, in another electronic device, between the cooling position where the cooling unit and the electronic device are in contact with each other and the retreat position where the cooling unit is pushed into the insertion opening and retracted from between the cooling unit and the electronic device. A heat transfer member that can be moved is provided.

  A solid-state imaging device was used as the electronic device. When the electronic device is attached to the printed board, the electronic device is cooled together with the printed board. Furthermore, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the electronic device or the cooling unit, a determination unit that determines whether the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is higher than a preset temperature, and the measured temperature Warning means for warning when the temperature is higher than the set temperature is provided.

  The cooling device of the present invention is configured by a cooling member having thermal conductivity and a cooling unit that accumulates cold heat in the cooling unit of the electronic device via the cooling member. Moreover, the charger of this invention was comprised from this charging device and the charging circuit. Furthermore, the cradle of the present invention was provided with a charging circuit as well as a cooling device.

  Moreover, the electronic device system of the present invention is configured by appropriately combining the electronic device with a cooling device, a charger, and a cradle.

  According to the electronic device, the cooling device, the charger, the cradle, and the electronic device system of the present invention, since the heat storage material is used as the cooling unit, problems such as noise during cooling and increase in power consumption do not occur. Furthermore, problems such as not being carried when used as an external cooling unit or increasing complexity during carrying are not generated. Further, since the cooling unit can be cooled in the state of being housed in the electronic device, the troublesome work of removing the cooling unit from the electronic device, cooling it, and storing it in the electronic device again does not occur.

  Moreover, since the temperature of the electronic device or the cooling unit is measured and a warning is issued when the temperature is higher than the set temperature, the cooling unit is not forgotten.

  Furthermore, since the cooling unit is configured as an electronic device system or incorporated in a charger or a cradle, the cooling unit can be easily cooled.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a digital camera system which is an example of an electronic apparatus system of the present invention. The digital camera system 2 includes a digital camera 3 and a cooling device 4.

A front surface and an upper surface of the digital camera 3 are provided with a lens barrel portion 8, an optical finder 9, a strobe light emitting portion 10, a shutter button 11, a mode selection dial 12, and the like in which a photographing lens 7 is incorporated. The mode selection dial 12 is used for an operation of switching the operation mode of the digital camera 3 between various modes such as a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, and a reproduction mode, and turning on / off the power of the digital camera 3.

  On the back surface of the digital camera 3, an LCD 15 on which captured images and various operation menus are displayed is provided. On the side surface of the digital camera 3, a memory card slot 17 or the like into which the memory card 16 is inserted is provided.

  On the left side when the digital camera 3 is viewed from the front, a cooling chamber 21 that houses a cooling unit 20 formed of a heat storage material, an insertion opening 22 that opens the cooling chamber 21, and a cooling that opens and closes the insertion opening 22 A lid 23 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, which is a cross-sectional view of the digital camera 3, a lens 25 that is incorporated in the lens barrel portion 8 by incorporating the photographing lens 7 in the casing 25 that forms the outer shape of the digital camera 3. A lens barrel 26, a solid-state imaging device 27, an optical finder 9, a strobe device 28 including a strobe light emitting unit 10, a main substrate 29, a power supply substrate 30, and the like are incorporated.

  The solid-state imaging device 27 is an image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS, images the subject light imaged by the photographing lens 7 disposed behind the lens barrel 26, and an imaging signal corresponding to the amount of the subject light. Is output. Various electronic components such as a CPU and a memory are attached to the main board 29, and a control circuit that controls each part of the digital camera 3, a drive circuit that drives the solid-state imaging device, and the like are provided. The main substrate 29 is disposed on the side of the cooling chamber 21. The power supply board 30 is provided with a power supply circuit that transforms electricity supplied from the battery pack and supplies power to each part of the digital camera 3. The power supply substrate 30 is disposed above the cooling chamber 21. A ventilation hole 33 is formed on the side surface of the cooling chamber 21 facing the inside of the digital camera 3.

  The cooling unit 20 is made of a heat storage material, and accumulates cold energy when cooled. As the heat storage material, a metal or synthetic resin having a high heat storage effect may be used, or a so-called cold insulating material in which a heat storage material such as liquid or gel is hermetically stored may be used.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a part of the configuration of the digital camera 3. Each part of the digital camera 3 is controlled by a system controller 36 including, for example, a microcomputer. The system controller 36 controls the driver 37 to operate the solid-state imaging device 27 to perform imaging, and the image processing circuit 38 converts the analog imaging signal output from the solid-state imaging device 27 into digital image data.

  The system controller 36 includes a temperature determination unit 41 inside. Further, the temperature sensor 42 and the LCD 15 constituting the warning means are connected. As shown in FIG. 2A, the temperature sensor 42 is attached to the cooling unit 20 in the cooling chamber 21 and measures its temperature. The measurement signal output from the temperature sensor 42 is input to the temperature determination unit 41, and it is determined whether or not the temperature of the cooling unit 20 is higher than a preset temperature. When it is determined that the temperature of the cooling unit 20 is higher than the set temperature, the system controller 36 controls the LCD 15 to display a warning message.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling device 4 includes a holding base 46 provided with a recess 45 in which the digital camera 3 is set. When the digital camera 3 is set in the recess 45 on the upper surface of the holding base 46, the cooling member 47 that enters the insertion opening 22 of the digital camera 3 to cool the cooling unit 20 and the cooling device 4 are cooled. A cooling button 48 for starting is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the cooling member 47 incorporates a Peltier element 51 that is a cooling element. The Peltier element 51 is connected to a cooling circuit 53 that controls the Peltier element 51 provided on the printed circuit board 52. As is well known, the Peltier element 51 is formed by joining two types of thermoelectric semiconductor elements consisting of a P-type element and an N-type element in a π-type with a metal electrode. An element that absorbs heat from one surface (heat-absorbing surface) and dissipates heat from the other surface (heat-dissipating surface) by the Peltier effect. The surface of the Peltier element 51 that contacts the cooling unit 20 is a heat absorbing surface 51a, and the opposite surface is a heat radiating surface 51b.

  Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described. When the cooling cover 23 of the digital camera 3 is opened and set in the cooling device 4, the cooling member 4 enters the insertion opening 22, and the heat absorption surface of the Peltier element 51 contacts the cooling unit 20. When the cooling button 48 is operated in this state, the cooling circuit 53 operates the Peltier element 51 to take heat from the cooling unit 20 and accumulate cold.

  When the cooling lid 23 is closed after the cooling of the cooling unit 20, the cool air discharged from the cooling unit 20 is introduced into the digital camera 3 through the vent hole 33. Since the main board 29 and the power supply board 30 are disposed in the vicinity of the vent hole 33, the air can be effectively cooled by the cool air of the cooling unit 20. In addition, when the digital camera 3 is filled with cool air, the solid-state imaging device 27 and the strobe device 28 located away from the vent hole 33 can also be cooled.

  As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, simultaneously with the power-on of the digital camera 3, the temperature sensor 42 measures the temperature of the cooling unit 20 and inputs the measurement signal to the temperature determination unit 41. When the temperature determination unit 41 determines that the temperature of the cooling unit 20 is higher than the set temperature, the system controller 36 causes the LCD 15 to prompt the cooling of the cooling unit 20 or to prompt the sensitivity setting change during imaging. Is displayed. As a result, shooting is not performed without noticing that the temperature of the cooling unit 20 is rising.

As described above, since the cooling is performed by the cooling unit 20 using the heat storage material, the size of the digital camera 3 is not extremely increased as in the case of incorporating a cooling unit or an electric fan. Further, since cooling is performed without using electricity, no increase in noise or power consumption occurs. Furthermore, since the temperature rise of the solid-state imaging device 27 can be prevented, image degradation due to an increase in dark current does not occur. In addition, if a heat insulating material is provided outside or inside the housing 25 or the housing 25 is made of a heat insulating material, the cooling efficiency can be further improved.

  In the above embodiment, the cooling unit 20 is exposed to the outside of the digital camera 3 for cooling. However, as shown in the cross-sectional view of the digital camera 60 in FIG. The cooling member 64 may be inserted to cool the cooling unit 64. According to this, since the inside of the digital camera 60 can be directly cooled by the cooling member 63, it is possible to shoot with the digital camera 60 set in the cooling device 62 during shooting that requires long exposure.

  Alternatively, the cooling unit 64 may be directly cooled by contacting the solid-state imaging device 67. According to this, the cooling efficiency of the solid-state imaging device 67 having the largest calorific value in the digital camera 3 can be further improved. As the cooling member 63 of the present embodiment, for example, a heat pipe is used and attached to the heat absorbing surface 68a of the Peltier element 68. Since the heat radiating surface 68b of the Peltier element 68 is in the cooling device 62, the cooling circuit 69 may be disposed at a position not facing the heat radiating surface 68b, and the front of the heat radiating surface 68b may be left open.

  Further, when the cooling unit 64 is attached to the back of the solid-state imaging device 67 and the cooling member 63 is inserted behind the solid-state imaging device 67, the space for disposing the LCD on the back of the digital camera 60 is eliminated. For this reason, for example, an eye view finder (EVF) can be used instead of the LCD.

  In the above embodiment, when the digital camera 60 is set in the cooling device 62 and photographing is performed, the cooling portion 64 is cooled by the cooling member 63, and the solid-state imaging device 67 is cooled by the cooling portion 64. . However, with this configuration, the solid-state imaging device cannot be efficiently cooled during long exposure. Therefore, the solid-state imaging device and the cooling unit may be directly and simultaneously cooled by the cooling device.

  In the digital camera 75 shown in FIG. 6A, a heat transfer member 79 that is movable in the vertical direction and biased downward by a spring 78 is disposed between the solid-state imaging device 76 and the cooling unit 77. Yes. When the photographing is performed only with the digital camera 75, the solid-state imaging device 76 is cooled by the cooling unit 77 via the heat transfer member 79. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the cooling member 82 is inserted from the bottom surface of the digital camera 75 in order to perform long exposure or the like, the heat transfer member 79 is pushed from below by the cooling member 82. Then, it is moved upward against the bias of the spring 78. Thereby, since the cooling member 82 is in direct contact with the solid-state imaging device 76 and the cooling unit 77, both can be simultaneously cooled.

  In each of the above embodiments, the cooling unit in the digital camera is cooled using the cooling device. However, as shown in FIG. 6B, the charging circuit 86 for charging the battery pack 85 and the digital camera 75 are used. The Peltier device 90 connected to the cooling member 82 and the cooling circuit 91 may be incorporated into a cradle 89 incorporating an external device connection circuit 88 or the like that is connected to the I / O circuit 87 of FIG. . According to this, the cooling unit 77 can be cooled even when charging or connection to an external device.

  In addition, although each said embodiment demonstrated the digital camera to the example, it can apply also to various electronic devices, such as a portable DVD player, a personal computer, a silicon audio player, and a mobile telephone.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the structure of the digital camera system of this invention. It is front sectional drawing of a digital camera. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a digital camera. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which warns the temperature of a cooling unit. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the structure of the digital camera system of another embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the structure of the digital camera system of another embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Digital camera system 3, 60, 75 Digital camera 4, 62 Cooling device 15 LCD
20, 64, 77 Cooling unit 21 Cooling chamber 22, 65 Insertion opening 23 Cooling lid 27, 67, 76 Solid-state imaging device 36 System controller 41 Temperature determination unit 42 Temperature sensor 47, 63, 82 Cooling member 51, 68, 90 Peltier element 53, 69, 91 Cooling circuit 85 Battery pack 86 Charging circuit 87 I / O circuit 88 External device connection circuit 89 Cradle

Claims (12)

A housing incorporating an electronic device;
A cooling unit formed of a heat storage material incorporated in the housing to cool the electronic device;
An insertion opening provided in the housing, into which a cooling device that contacts the cooling unit and accumulates cold heat is inserted;
An electronic apparatus comprising a cooling lid that opens and closes the insertion opening. A housing incorporating an electronic device;
A cooling unit formed of a heat storage material that is incorporated in the housing and cools the electronic device;
An insertion opening provided in the housing, into which a cooling device that contacts the cooling unit and accumulates cold heat is inserted;
A cooling lid that opens and closes the insertion opening;
The cooling unit is movable between a cooling position that contacts the cooling unit and the electronic device, and a retreat position that is pushed by the cooling device inserted into the insertion opening and retracts from between the cooling unit and the electronic device. An electronic device comprising a heat transfer member.   The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a solid-state imaging device.   4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is attached to a printed circuit board, and the cooling unit cools the electronic device together with the printed circuit board.   A temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the electronic device or the cooling unit, a determination unit that determines whether the temperature measured by the temperature sensor is higher than a preset temperature, and the measured temperature is set 5. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising warning means for giving a warning when the temperature is higher than the temperature. A cooling member that has thermal conductivity and is inserted into the insertion opening of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and contacts the cooling unit, and cooling that accumulates cold heat in the cooling unit via the cooling member And a cooling device. A charger comprising a charging circuit for charging a secondary battery housed in a casing of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A charger comprising the cooling device according to claim 6. A cradle comprising: a holding base that holds the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; and a connection terminal that is connected to an electronic device in the electronic device and interposes between the electronic device and an external device. There,
A cradle comprising the cooling device according to claim 6. A cradle comprising: a holding base that holds the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; and a connection terminal that is connected to an electronic device in the electronic device and interposes between the electronic device and an external device. There,
A cradle comprising the cooling device according to claim 6 and the charging circuit according to claim 7.   An electronic apparatus system comprising the electronic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and the cooling apparatus according to claim 6.   An electronic device system comprising the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and the charger according to claim 7. An electronic device system comprising the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and the cradle according to claim 8 or 9.

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