JP2012078444A - Display device and information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device and an information processor equipped with a sensor to detect the presence of a user for accurately recognizing, without depending on an office environment of the user, whether the user is in a user's seat or leaving the seat.SOLUTION: The display device is equipped with, on the lower part of a display screen, a light emitting part emitting light to an object, and a light receiving part detecting the amount of received light emitted from the light emitting part and reflected by the object. The light emitting part is installed in such a manner that the angle of emitting the light is inclined upward with respect to the installation surface of the display device, and the obliquely emitted light is confined within a range detectable by the light receiving part after reflected by the object.

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device and an information processing device, and more particularly to a technique preferably applied to a power saving function of a display device or information processing device equipped with a sensor for detecting the presence of a user.

  In recent years, from the viewpoint of ecology, electronic devices such as PCs, mobile phones, and televisions are equipped with a power saving function. The main power saving function is to reduce power consumption when the user is not using the electronic device. For example, in the case of a PC, when there is no input for a certain period of time, the screen is turned off first, and when there is no further input for a certain period of time, the suspend state is established.

  The power saving function described in the example of the PC is a general function that is standardly provided in many PCs. In this current power saving function, the OS monitors the user's input operation, and shifts to the power saving mode (screen off, suspend state) and returns to the standard mode (screen on) according to the input operation state. Also, a transition time to the power saving mode is set, and when there is no user input operation for the set time, the power saving mode is entered, and when the user input operation is detected, the standard mode is restored.

  However, there are cases where the user is working even if no input operation is performed (reading the displayed content, devising the content to be input, etc.), and the power saving mode is triggered only by the presence or absence of the input operation. It is not suitable for the actual situation of the user's operation status to shift to. If the setting time is shortened so as to make the power saving mode as much as possible while there is no input operation, the user frequently makes a transition to the power saving mode even though the user is working. In addition, an input operation for returning from the power saving mode to the normal mode is necessary, which may be troublesome for some users.

  On the other hand, recently, electronic devices such as a monitor equipped with a sensor (for example, an infrared sensor) for detecting the presence of a user have appeared. In such an electronic device, according to the detection result of the sensor, when the user is not close to the device (separated), the electronic device shifts to the power saving mode, and the user is close to the device (is present). To return to standard mode. In addition, according to this mode switching, it is possible to set the standard mode only for the user's terminal operation (working) including not only during the input but also during the input, and the power saving mode can be set for the other modes. No input operation is required to restore

  By the way, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for preventing malfunction of an infrared sensor that detects a user. The sensor device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a transmissive cover on the light path side of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, and at least a layered structure with respect to a portion between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the cover. By providing the infrared absorption layer, the scattered light guided through the inside of the cover is absorbed by the infrared absorption layer, and the scattered light taken into the light receiving portion is reduced.

JP 2001-194232 A

  A sensor for detecting the presence of a user is often provided at the bottom of the display screen of a monitor as shown in FIG. 1 (here, an infrared sensor). This is because a power button, a headphone input terminal, etc. are generally arranged at the lower part of the display screen of the monitor, and it is reasonable to provide them in the vicinity of these from the viewpoint of design and function.

  The infrared sensor includes a sensor LED that emits infrared light and a sensor that detects reflected infrared light. As shown in FIG. 2, the infrared radiation angle of the sensor LED is different from the response angle of the sensor. These infrared radiation angles and reaction angles are the same when viewed from the top as shown in FIG. 2 or when viewed from the side as shown in FIGS. (The infrared radiation angle is about 36 ° and the reaction angle is about 60 °).

  When the distance from the display screen to the user is about 80 cm and the height of the user is about 50 cm from the desk, ideally, as shown in FIG. 4, the optimum mounting position of the sensor is the center of the display surface (in the longitudinal direction). The center and the center in the short direction (position of about 25 cm on the desk)). In this case, the infrared rays emitted from the sensor LED are reflected only to the user, and the presence of the user can be accurately detected. However, mounting at the above position is impossible in reality because of the display screen.

  That is, in reality, there is no choice but to place the sensor at the lower position of the display screen as shown in FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the sensor is mounted at a height of about 8 cm from the desktop, and the infrared rays emitted from the sensor LED are not only on the user but also on the desk in front of the user (display side). It reflects on a certain keyboard and cannot accurately detect the presence of the user (actually, the sensor reacts to infrared rays reflected on the keyboard even when the user is away).

  The invention of Cited Document 1 is to reduce scattered light generated inside a sensor device when receiving infrared rays emitted from a light emitting unit and reflected by an object, and the object from which infrared rays from the light emitting unit are reflected. Whether it is a user or a non-user (keyboard, mouse, etc.) is not affected. That is, even in the case as shown in FIG. 5, the amount of received light is detected in response to infrared rays reflected on the keyboard while reducing scattered light generated inside the sensor device. It cannot solve the problem that the presence cannot be detected accurately.

  Therefore, the present invention enables a display device or an information processing device equipped with a sensor for detecting the presence of a user to accurately grasp the presence or absence of the user without being influenced by the user's office environment. For the purpose.

  In the display device according to one aspect of the present invention, a light emitting unit that emits light toward an object, and a light receiving unit that detects the amount of light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected by the object are provided at the bottom of the display screen. The light emitting part is installed so that the light emission angle is inclined upward with respect to the installation surface of the display device, and the light emitted by the inclination is reflected within the detectable range of the light receiving part after being reflected by the object. ing.

  In the display device according to the present invention, in the display device described above, the light emitting unit includes a light emitting unit that emits light and a lens that transmits the light emitted by the light emitting unit, and the lens receives light from the light emitting unit. The outgoing surface may be cut obliquely.

  In the display device according to the present invention, in the display device described above, light from the light emitting unit is emitted so that the upper side edge of the lens is longer than the opposite side edge with respect to the installation surface of the display device. The surface may be cut off obliquely.

  In the display device according to the present invention, in the display device described above, the light emitting unit includes a light emitting unit that emits light and a lens that transmits the light emitted by the light emitting unit, and the light emitting unit and the lens are formed by the light emitting unit. The light emitted and passed through the lens may be installed so as to be inclined upward with respect to the installation surface of the display device so that it falls within a detectable range of the light receiving unit after being reflected by the object.

  In the display device according to the present invention, in the display device described above, the light emitting unit is half the radiation angle representing the range of light emitted by the light emitting unit from the half angle of the detection angle representing the detectable range of the light receiving unit. It may be installed by being tilted upward with respect to the installation surface of the display device by the angle of subtracting.

  An information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes the above display device.

  According to the present invention, in a display device or an information processing device equipped with a sensor for detecting the presence of a user, it is possible to accurately grasp the presence or absence of the user without being influenced by the user's office environment. It becomes.

1 is an external view (front view) of a PC according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram (top view) of an infrared sensor mounted on a PC according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing (top view) of the infrared radiation angle and sensor reaction angle in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing (side view) of the infrared radiation angle in the ideal sensor mounting position, and the reaction angle of a sensor. It is explanatory drawing (side view) of the infrared radiation angle and sensor reaction angle in the conventional sensor mounting position. It is explanatory drawing (side view) of the infrared radiation angle and sensor reaction angle in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the infrared sensor (light emission part) mounted in PC which concerns on embodiment (1st) of this invention. It is a block diagram of the infrared sensor (light emission part) mounted in PC which concerns on embodiment (2nd) of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an appearance of a PC according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The PC 1 according to this embodiment is a desktop personal computer in which a display unit and a main body unit are integrated, and an infrared sensor for detecting the presence of a user is provided in an arrangement area such as a power button at the bottom of the display screen. . The infrared sensor includes a light emitting unit 20 that emits infrared rays and a light receiving unit 10 that receives infrared rays reflected by an object.

  FIG. 2 is a top view showing the configuration of the infrared sensor mounted on the PC according to the present embodiment. The light emitting unit 20 includes a sensor LED 21 that emits infrared rays, and an LED lens 22 that passes and collects infrared rays emitted from the sensor LED 21. The light receiving unit 10 detects the amount of received infrared light collected by the sensor lens 12 and the sensor lens 12 that passes and collects the infrared light that has passed through the LED lens 22 and reflected by the object (for example, the user). And the sensor 11 that is configured. In the present embodiment, the light receiving unit 10 and the light emitting unit 20 are configured by integrating the sensor 11 or the sensor LED 21 and the lens on the housing, but the sensor, LED, and lens may not be integrated. .

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the infrared radiation angle (hereinafter referred to as LED radiation angle) emitted by the sensor LED 21 of the light emitting unit 20 is about 36 °, and the sensor 11 of the light receiving unit 10 determines the amount of received light. The angle that can be detected (hereinafter referred to as sensor response angle) is about 60 °. The LED emission angle is not only the angle seen from the top surface as shown in FIG. 3, but also the angle seen from the side surface as shown in FIG. 5 is about 36 °, which is about a center line perpendicular to the facing surface of the sensor LED 21. It can be said that it is a range when the sensor LED 21 is rotated one round (360 °) around the installation point of the sensor LED 21 with an inclination of 18 °. The same is true for the sensor response angle.

  At the mounting position of the infrared sensor shown in FIG. 1, there is a problem as shown in FIG. 5, and in order to solve this problem, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. The angle is not above the keyboard (infrared rays are not reflected on the keyboard) and is within the sensor reaction angle (the reflected infrared rays can be detected by the sensor 11 of the light receiving unit 10). Tilt to.

  How much the LED radiation angle is tilted upward depends on the LED radiation angle and the sensor response angle, but the PC is installed only by subtracting half the LED radiation angle from half the sensor reaction angle. It is possible to tilt upward from the surface.

  This will be described with reference to FIG. Here, as a premise, the sensor LED 21 and the sensor 11 are arranged on a plane perpendicular to the PC installation surface (lower part of the display screen), and the center line perpendicular to the opposing surface of the sensor LED 21 and the sensor 11 is PC. It is assumed that each center line substantially coincides with the installation surface. In the case of this embodiment, since the LED emission angle is about 36 °, the upper limit of the angle at which infrared rays are emitted (the upper limit of the infrared emission range in the figure) is about 18 ° from the center line, and the sensor response angle is Since the angle is about 60 °, the upper limit of the angle of reflected infrared rays that can be detected by the sensor (the upper limit of the sensor response range in the figure) is about 30 ° from the center line.

  Then, about 12 ° obtained by subtracting about 18 ° (half angle of LED emission angle) from about 30 ° (half angle of sensor response angle) is an angle at which the LED emission angle can be tilted above the PC installation surface. As shown in FIG. 6, even if the LED radiation angle is tilted by about 12 °, the sensor 11 can detect infrared rays reflected by the user because the LED radiation angle is within the range of the sensor reaction angle. Is possible. Further, since the LED radiation angle is tilted upward by about 12 °, infrared rays do not have to be reflected on the keyboard in front of the user.

  FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of an infrared sensor (light emitting unit) mounted on the PC according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, as described above, the sensor LED 21 and the LED lens 22 are attached to the housing and integrated to form the light emitting unit 20, and as shown in FIG. 5, the irradiation direction of the sensor LED 21 is PC. The light emitting unit 20 is provided so as to be substantially parallel to the installation surface.

  In order to incline the LED emission angle above the PC installation surface as shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the light emitting unit 20 (the sensor LED 21, the LED lens 22 and the housing to which these are attached) is connected to the LED emission angle. Is tilted upward by the amount desired to be tilted and installed on the PC 1 (lower part of the display screen).

  According to the present embodiment, since the entire housing to which the sensor LED 21 and the LED lens 22 are attached is inclined and installed in the PC 1, fine fine adjustment for making an angle with respect to the sensor LED 21 and the LED lens 22 is individually performed. There is no need to do it.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment of the present invention includes a light emitting unit 20 having a configuration different from that of the first embodiment. In order to incline the LED emission angle above the PC installation surface, the entire light emitting unit is inclined in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, the shape of the LED lens 22 is changed, and the infrared rays emitted from the lens are changed. It tilts upwards from the PC.

  FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of an infrared sensor (light emitting unit) mounted on the PC according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the light emitting unit 20 is integrated by attaching the sensor LED 21 and the LED lens 22 to the housing, but the configuration unique to the present embodiment is the shape of the LED lens 22. It is.

  In the present embodiment, a predetermined angle is set so that the lower side edge (side surface side) of the LED lens 22 is shorter than the upper side edge, and the lens surface on the infrared ray emission side of the LED lens 22 is cut. In this embodiment, in order to incline the irradiation angle of the sensor LED 21 by about 12 ° above the PC, the lens surface on the infrared emission side is cut at an angle of about 20 °. That is, the angle formed by the infrared emitting side lens surface before cutting and the infrared emitting side lens surface after cutting is about 20 °. It should be noted that the LED lens 22 to be used is different from the first embodiment as described above, and the mounting to the housing is the same (in the first embodiment, the entire light emitting unit is tilted after being mounted).

  According to the present embodiment, since the irradiation angle of the sensor LED 21 can be tilted without tilting the entire light emitting unit, the thickness of the display device can be made thinner compared to the first embodiment, The device can be downsized. Further, it is only necessary to cut off one surface of the LED lens 22 by a predetermined angle, and the impact of the design change can be reduced.

  The above-described embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment alone, and various modifications are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Implementation is possible. For example, in addition to the above-described integrated desktop personal computer, the present invention can be applied to a display device in a tower personal computer in which a display unit and a main body unit are separated.

1 PC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Light-receiving part 11 Sensor 12 Sensor lens 20 Light-emitting part 21 Sensor LED
22 LED lens

Claims (6)

A light emitting unit that emits light toward the object and a light receiving unit that detects the amount of light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected by the object are provided at the bottom of the display screen,
The light emitting unit tilts the light emitting angle upward with respect to the installation surface of the display device, and the light emitted by the tilting is within a detectable range of the light receiving unit after being reflected by an object. A display device characterized by being installed in The light emitting unit includes a light emitting unit that emits light, and a lens that transmits the light emitted by the light emitting unit,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the lens from which light from the light emitting unit is emitted is obliquely cut off.   The lens has a surface on which light from the light emitting means is emitted obliquely so that an upper side edge with respect to a display surface of the display device is longer than a side edge in a reverse direction. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the display device is characterized. The light emitting unit includes a light emitting unit that emits light, and a lens that transmits the light emitted by the light emitting unit,
The light emitting means and the lens are located above the installation surface of the display device so that light emitted from the light emitting means and passed through the lens falls within a detectable range of the light receiving unit after being reflected by an object. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is installed with an inclination.   The light emitting unit is a display device by an amount obtained by subtracting a half angle of a radiation angle representing a range of light emitted by the light emitting unit from a half angle of a detection angle representing a detectable range of the light receiving unit. 5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is installed to be tilted upward with respect to the installation surface.   An information processing apparatus comprising the display device according to claim 1.

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