JP7032371B2 - Electronic devices and control methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electronic devices and control methods.

Some electronic devices such as PCs (Personal Computers) detect whether or not a person is present in front of them and control their operation. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a terminal processing device that displays an operation screen in response to detecting an approaching person.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-255922

A proximity sensor (PS: Proximity Sensor) such as an infrared (IR: Infrared) sensor is used to detect the presence of a person. The FoV (Field of View: detection viewing angle), which indicates the angle that can be detected by the proximity sensor, has been as narrow as about 20 ° in the past, but recently, a wide FoV proximity sensor such as about 60 ° has come out. People who use electronic devices do not always stay in front of the electronic devices, and their posture tends to move freely. Therefore, using a wide FoV proximity sensor improves detection accuracy. It is possible to make it. However, the wide FoV proximity sensor has a large number of detection elements as opposed to the narrow FoV proximity sensor, so that the power consumption is high. Therefore, in a highly portable PC, there is a concern that the battery will affect the drive time.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide an electronic device and a control method for appropriately detecting the presence of a person while suppressing an increase in power consumption.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the electronic device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a detection sensor that detects a wave coming from an object and outputs a detection signal, and the detection sensor. It is provided with a detection unit for detecting an object existing in a predetermined detection range based on a detection signal detected in a part of the detectable range in which the wave motion can be detected.

In the electronic device, a plurality of detection elements are arranged in a matrix in the detection sensor as the detectable range, and the detection units are arranged in a lower row of the plurality of detection elements. An object existing within the predetermined detection range may be detected based on the detection signals output from the plurality of detection elements.

In the electronic device, when the detection unit stops detecting an object from the state of detecting an object within the predetermined detection range, the detection range may be narrowed.

In the electronic device, the predetermined detection range is determined corresponding to the width in the row direction composed of a plurality of detection elements arranged in a part of the rows, and the detection unit is composed of a detection element used for detection. The predetermined detection range may be narrowed by detecting using some of the detection elements arranged in the part of the rows so that the width in the row direction becomes narrow.

The electronic device includes a management unit that manages a history of detection positions of an object detected by the detection unit within the predetermined detection range, and the detection unit detects an object within the predetermined detection range. When the detection is stopped from the state of being detected, the predetermined detection range may be set based on the history for a certain period in the past from the time when the detection is stopped.

In the electronic device, when it is determined that the object is detected biased toward the end within the predetermined detection range based on the history of the fixed period, the detection unit is within the predetermined detection range. It is not necessary to narrow the predetermined detection range even when the object is no longer detected from the state where the object is detected.

In the electronic device, when the detection unit detects an object from a state in which it does not detect an object within the predetermined detection range, the detection range may be restored.

The electronic device may include a processing unit that executes system processing and an operation control unit that controls the operation of system processing by the processing unit based on the detection result of the detection unit.

Further, the control method in an electronic device including a detection sensor that detects a wave coming from an object and outputs a detection signal according to a second aspect of the present invention is within a detectable range in which the detection sensor can detect the wave. It has a step of acquiring a detection signal detected in a part of the range, and a step of detecting an object existing in a predetermined detection range based on the acquired detection signal.

According to the above aspect of the present invention, the presence of a person can be appropriately detected while suppressing an increase in power consumption.

The figure explaining the outline of the electronic device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which showed the comparison of the detection viewing angle of the proximity sensor of different FoV. The figure which shows an example of the person detection range when the proximity sensor of FoV (20 °) is used. The figure which shows an example of the person detection range when the proximity sensor of FoV (60 °) is used. The perspective view which shows the structural example of the appearance of the electronic device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the proximity sensor which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic block diagram which shows the hardware configuration example of the electronic device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure explaining an example of the person detection range which concerns on embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of activation control which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the waiting state transition process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the proximity sensor of the proximity detection mode which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure explaining an example of the person detection range of the approach detection mode which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the control process of the person detection range which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the 1st example of the histogram of the detection position of the person which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The figure which shows the 2nd example of the histogram of the detection position of the person which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the control process of the person detection range which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
First, the electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment is, for example, an information processing device such as a notebook PC (Personal Computer). The electronic device 1 may be any form of information processing device such as a desktop PC, a tablet terminal device, or a smartphone.

The electronic device 1 can transition between at least a normal operating state (power-on state) and a standby state as the operating state of the system. The normal operating state is an operating state in which processing can be executed without particular limitation, and corresponds to, for example, the S0 state defined by ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface). The standby state is a state in which at least a part of system processing is restricted. For example, the standby state is a state in which at least the display of the display unit is turned off, and is an operating state in which the power consumption is lower than that in the normal operating state. The standby state may be a standby state, a sleep state, or the like, or may be a state corresponding to a modern standby state in Windows (registered trademark), an S3 state (sleep state) defined by ACPI, or the like.

In the following, the transition of the system operating state from the standby state to the normal operating state may be referred to as startup. In the standby state, the activity of the operation is generally lower than that in the normal operation state. Therefore, activating the system process of the electronic device 1 activates the operation of the system process in the electronic device 1.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment. The electronic device 1 includes a proximity sensor described later, and detects a person existing in the vicinity of the electronic device 1. The process of detecting the presence of this person may also be referred to as an HPD (Human Presence Detection) process. The electronic device 1 detects a person existing in the vicinity of the electronic device 1 and controls the operating state of the electronic device 1 based on the detection result. For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the electronic device 1 changes from a state in which a person does not exist in front of the electronic device 1 (Absence) to a state in which a person exists (Presense), that is, a person approaches the electronic device 1. When it detects that something has happened (Approach), it automatically starts the system and transitions to the normal operating state. Further, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), the electronic device 1 restricts the system from transitioning to the standby state in a state (Presense) in which a person exists in front of the electronic device 1, and is in a normal operating state. To continue. Then, as shown in FIG. 1C, the electronic device 1 changes from a state in which a person exists in front of the electronic device 1 (Presense) to a state in which a person does not exist (Absence), that is, from the electronic device 1. When it is detected that the person has left (Leave), the system is transitioned to the standby state.

The proximity sensor used to detect a person has a FoV (Field of View: detection viewing angle) that indicates a detectable angle, which was narrow, for example, about 20 ° in the past, but recently, a wide FoV proximity sensor, for example, about 60 °. Is coming out. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison of the detection viewing angles of proximity sensors of different FoVs. FIG. 2A is a schematic view showing the detection viewing angle FoV (A) when a conventional narrow FoV proximity sensor is used. On the other hand, FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing the detection viewing angle FoV (B) when a wide FoV proximity sensor is used.

Further, FIG. 3 is an example of a detection range in which a person existing in front of the electronic device 1 is detected when the proximity sensor of the FoV (A) shown in FIG. 2 (A) is assumed to be used by the electronic device 1. Is shown. In this case, the electronic device 1 detects whether or not a person exists in front of the electronic device 1 depending on whether or not a person is detected within the narrow detection range ERA set in the FoV (A). .. On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows an example of a detection range in which a person existing in front of the electronic device 1 is detected when the electronic device 1 uses the proximity sensor of the FoV (B) shown in FIG. 2 (B). There is. The electronic device 1 detects whether or not a person exists in front of the electronic device 1 depending on whether or not a person is detected within the detection range ERB set in the FoV (B).

The person using the electronic device 1 does not always stay properly in front of the electronic device 1, and tends to move freely, so that the FoV (B) is better than using the proximity sensor of the FoV (A). ) Has a wider detection viewing angle and better detection accuracy when using a proximity sensor. In the present embodiment, the electronic device 1 will be described as having a proximity sensor of FoV (B). The FoV of the proximity sensor included in the electronic device 1 is, for example, about 60 °, but is not limited to 60 °, and may be less than 60 ° (for example, about 40 to 60 °), or 60 °. The angle may be wider than °.

Here, the proximity sensor of FoV (B) has a wide detection viewing angle as opposed to the proximity sensor of FoV (A), but the number of detection elements is large, so that the power consumption required for detection is high. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the electronic device 1 uses only a part of the detection range ERB. For example, even if the posture of the person using the electronic device 1 moves (for example, even if the head moves), the area around the chest of the person does not move significantly as long as the electronic device 1 is used. .. Therefore, for the detection of a person, only a part of the lower side (lower side in the vertical direction) of the detection range ERB (for example, the detection range ERBL) is sufficient. For example, in the proximity sensor, a plurality of detection elements are arranged in a matrix, and only a part of the detection range ERB in the vertical direction (vertical direction) (for example, the lowest row) is set as the detection range. The electronic device 1 uses all the detection elements by detecting a person based on the detection signals output from the plurality of detection elements arranged in a part of the lower row of the proximity sensor of the FoV (B). Power consumption can be reduced as much as possible, and by detecting a person in a wide range in the horizontal direction (direction orthogonal to the vertical direction), the detection accuracy of the person is improved as compared with the case of detecting a person in a narrow range. be able to. A specific configuration example of the proximity sensor will be described later.

(Appearance configuration of electronic devices)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the appearance of the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment.
The electronic device 1 includes a first housing 10, a second housing 20, and a hinge mechanism 15. The first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are connected by using a hinge mechanism 15. The first housing 10 is relatively rotatable about the rotation axis formed by the hinge mechanism 15 with respect to the second housing 20. The direction of the rotation axis is parallel to the side surfaces 10c and 20c where the hinge mechanism 15 is installed.

The first housing 10 is also referred to as an A cover or a display housing. The second housing 20 is also referred to as a C cover or a system housing. In the following description, of the side surfaces of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20, the surfaces provided with the hinge mechanism 15 are referred to as side surfaces 10c and 20c, respectively. Of the side surfaces of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20, the surfaces opposite to the side surfaces 10c and 20c are referred to as side surfaces 10a and 20a, respectively. In the illustration, the direction from the side surface 20a to the side surface 20c is called "rear", and the direction from the side surface 20c to the side surface 20a is called "front (or front)". The right and left sides with respect to the rear are called "right" and "left", respectively. The left side surfaces of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are referred to as side surfaces 10b and 20b, respectively, and the right side surfaces are referred to as side surfaces 10d and 20d, respectively. Further, a state in which the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 overlap each other and are completely closed (a state in which the opening angle θ = 0 °) is referred to as a “closed state”. The surfaces of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 facing each other in the closed state are referred to as "inner surfaces", and the surfaces opposite to the inner surface are referred to as "outer surfaces". Further, the state in which the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are open with respect to the closed state is referred to as an "open state".

The appearance of the electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 2 shows an example in an open state. The open state is a state in which the side surface 10a of the first housing 10 and the side surface 20a of the side 2 housing 20 are separated from each other. In the open state, the inner surfaces of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are exposed, and it is expected that the electronic device 1 can perform a normal operation. The open state is a state in which the opening angle θ formed by the inner surface of the first housing 10 and the inner surface of the second housing 20 is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle, and is typically about 100 to 130 °. The range of the opening angle θ in the open state can be arbitrarily determined according to the range of the angle that can be rotated by the hinge mechanism 15.

A display unit 110 is provided on the inner surface of the first housing 10. The display unit 110 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, and the like. Further, the image pickup unit 120 and the proximity sensor 130 are provided in the peripheral region of the display unit 110 on the inner surface of the first housing 10. That is, the image pickup unit 120 and the proximity sensor 130 are provided at positions facing each other (user) who uses the electronic device 1. The image pickup unit 120 and the proximity sensor 130 are arranged side by side on the side surface 20a side of the peripheral region of the display unit 110. The proximity sensor 130 may be arranged on the side surface 20c side of the peripheral region of the display unit 110.

In the open state, the image pickup unit 120 captures an image of an object within a predetermined angle of view in the direction facing the inner surface of the first housing 10 (front). The predetermined angle of view is an image pickup angle of view determined by the image pickup element of the image pickup unit 120 and an optical lens provided in front of the image pickup surface of the image pickup element.

The proximity sensor 130 detects an object (for example, a person) existing in the vicinity of the electronic device 1. For example, the proximity sensor 130 detects a light emitting element that emits infrared rays (IR: Infrared) and a plurality of reflected waves (that is, infrared rays arriving from the object) that the emitted infrared rays are reflected on the surface of the object and returned. It is an infrared sensor including a detection element. The light emitting element that emits infrared rays may be built in a position different from the detection element in the proximity sensor 130 (a position where the emitted infrared rays do not directly reach the detection element), or may be built in the inner surface of the first housing 10. It may be provided at a position different from that of the proximity sensor 130.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the proximity sensor 130 according to the present embodiment.
The proximity sensor 130 is an infrared sensor module including a plurality of detection elements, and has, for example, a wide FoV shown in FIG. 2 (B). The plurality of detection elements are two-dimensionally arranged in a matrix in the detection surface. In the example shown in FIG. 6, a total of 64 detection elements (detection elements (cells) with numbers 1 to 64) of 8 in the horizontal direction and 8 in the vertical direction are arranged. Each detection element detects infrared rays arriving from an object and outputs a detection signal according to the luminosity of the detected infrared rays. The detection range of each detection element is, for example, a range of a constant angle (for example, 5 ° to 7 °) in each of the horizontal and vertical directions about the optical axis orthogonal to the detection surface. The FoV that can be detected by the proximity sensor 130 is a detection range that summarizes the detection range of each detection element.

Here, a total of 64 detection elements, 8 in the horizontal direction and 8 in the vertical direction, will be described as an example in the proximity sensor 130, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the arrangement is not limited to this. The number of detection elements is arbitrary.

The proximity sensor 130 samples the luminous intensity detected by each detection element every predetermined sampling cycle (for example, 50 to 200 ms), and outputs a detection signal according to the sampled luminous intensity. Further, the proximity sensor 130 suppresses power consumption by outputting detection signals only from a plurality of detection elements arranged in a part of the lower side (lower side in the vertical direction). For example, the detection signal is output only to the eight detection elements (detection elements (cells) with numbers 57 to 64) in the bottom row shown in FIG. The FoV may be set at least in the horizontal direction. For example, when all the eight detection elements in the bottom row are used, the FoV has an angle of “θ1” to the left and right with respect to the optical axis orthogonal to the detection surface. It is in the range of the angle θ1 that is symmetrically distributed by / 2. The electronic device 1 can detect a person who exists within a predetermined distance (for example, within about 1.0 m to 1.5 m) in the front direction of the electronic device 1 with the FoV of θ1. The horizontal direction is close to the absolute horizontal direction, which means a direction parallel to the horizontal plane orthogonal to the vertical direction. Here, it is described that the electronic device 1 is placed in a used state as shown in FIG. 5 on a surface (for example, on a desk) that is close to a horizontal plane orthogonal to the vertical direction.

If the relationship between the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130 and the vertical direction changes depending on the orientation and usage state of the electronic device 1, the vertical direction with respect to the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130 changes and the horizontal direction also changes. The location of the detection element corresponding to the bottom row also changes.

Returning to FIG. 5, a keyboard 151 and a touch pad 153 are provided as input devices on the inner surface of the second housing 20. The input device may include a touch sensor in place of or in addition to the keyboard 151 and the touchpad 153, or may be connected to a mouse or an external keyboard. In the case of the configuration provided with the touch sensor, the operation area in which the touch sensor accepts the operation may be an area corresponding to the display surface of the display unit 110. Further, the input device may include a microphone into which voice is input.

In the closed state where the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are closed, the display unit 110, the image pickup unit 120, and the proximity sensor 130 provided on the inner surface of the first housing 10 are in the second housing. It is in a state where it cannot exert its function because it is covered with the inner surface of the body 20. When the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are completely closed, the opening angle θ is 0 °.

(Hardware configuration of electronic devices)
FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration example of the hardware of the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment. The electronic device 1 includes a display unit 110, an image pickup unit 120, a proximity sensor 130, an input device 150, an EC (Embedded Controller) 200, a system processing unit 300, a communication unit 350, a storage unit 360, and a power supply unit 400. To. The display unit 110 displays the display data generated by the system processing executed by the system processing unit 300.

The image pickup unit 120 captures an image of an object within a predetermined angle of view in the direction facing the inner surface of the first housing 10 (front), and outputs the captured image to the system processing unit 300. For example, when the face of a person who is close to the electronic device 1 is included in the angle of view of the image pickup unit 120, the image pickup unit 120 captures the face image of the person and outputs the captured face image to the system processing unit 300. The image pickup unit 120 may be an infrared camera or a normal camera. An infrared camera is a camera provided with an infrared sensor as an image pickup device. A normal camera is a camera provided with a visible light sensor that receives visible light as an image pickup device.

The proximity sensor 130 detects an object (for example, a person) existing in the front direction (front) of the first housing 10, and outputs a detection signal indicating the detection result to the EC200.

The input device 150 is an input unit that receives user input, and includes, for example, a keyboard 151 and a touch pad 153. The input device 150 outputs an operation signal indicating the operation content to the EC 200 in response to receiving an operation on the keyboard 151 and the touch pad 153.

The power supply unit 400 supplies electric power via a power supply system for supplying electric power to each unit according to the operating state of each unit of the electronic device 1. The power supply unit 400 includes a DC (Direct Current) / DC converter. The DC / DC converter converts the voltage of the direct current power supplied from the AC (Alternate Current) / DC adapter or the battery pack into the voltage required by each part. The electric power whose voltage is converted by the DC / DC converter is supplied to each part via each power supply system. For example, the power supply unit 400 supplies electric power to each unit via each power supply system based on a control signal according to the operating state of each unit input from the EC 200.

The EC200 is a microcomputer including a CPU, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an I / O (Input / Output) logic circuit, and the like. The CPU of the EC200 reads a control program stored in advance in its own ROM, executes the read control program, and exerts its function. The EC 200 operates independently of the system processing unit 300, controls the operation of the system processing unit 300, and manages the operating state thereof. Further, the EC 200 is connected to the proximity sensor 130, the input device 150, and the power supply unit 400.

For example, the EC 200 acquires a detection signal indicating a detection result from the proximity sensor 130, and executes HPD processing for detecting the presence of a person based on the detection result. Further, the EC 200 controls the operating state of the system processing unit 300 according to the HPD processing. Further, the EC 200 acquires information on the battery status (remaining capacity, etc.) from the power supply unit 400 by communicating with the power supply unit 400, and controls the supply of electric power according to the operating status of each unit of the electronic device 1. A control signal or the like for this is output to the power supply unit 400. Further, the EC 200 acquires an operation signal from the input device 150, and outputs the operation signal related to the processing of the system processing unit 300 among the acquired operation signals to the system processing unit 300.

For example, the EC200 includes a person detection unit 210 and an operation control unit 220 as a functional configuration related to HPD processing. The person detection unit 210 detects an object (for example, a person) existing in front (for example) of the electronic device 1 in a predetermined sampling cycle (for example, 1 kHz) based on the detection result detected by the proximity sensor 130. In the following description, the fact that the person detection unit 210 detects an object (for example, a person) is also described as simply detecting a person. That is, the detection of a person by the person detection unit 210 includes the detection of a person by the person detection unit 210 and the detection of an object other than the person. For example, the person detection unit 210 detects whether or not a person exists within a predetermined range in front of (front) the electronic device 1 based on the detection signal acquired from the proximity sensor 130. The predetermined range is a person detection range set as a range in which the person detection unit 210 detects a person. For example, the person detection range corresponds to the range of FoV or the range of less than EoV of the proximity sensor 130. Further, when the person detection unit 210 detects a person, the person detection unit 210 may also detect the distance to the person.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a person detection range according to the present embodiment. This figure is a view showing the person detection range of the electronic device 1 placed on the desk from the upper side in the vertical direction. The person detection unit 210 detects whether or not a person exists within the person detection range based on the detection signal acquired from the detection element (see FIG. 6) at the bottom of the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130. The person detection range is a range of an angle θ1 about the optical axis AX orthogonal to the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130. The angle θ1 is not limited as long as it is an optimum angle for detecting the presence of a person, but it is preferably wide to some extent. When the person is at the position of U1, since a part of the body is within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 detects that the person is present. On the other hand, when the person exists at the position of U2, since the body of the person is not within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 detects that the person does not exist.

Further, when the person is detected from the state where the person is not detected within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 detects that the person has approached the electronic device 1 (Approach). Further, when the person detection unit 210 detects a person within the person detection range and then continuously detects the person, the person detection unit 210 indicates that the person is present in front of the electronic device 1 (Presense). To detect. Further, when the person detection unit 210 stops detecting a person from the state where the person is detected within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 determines that the person existing in front of the electronic device 1 is separated, and the electronic device. It is detected that the person has left from 1.

When the person detection unit 210 detects a person within the person detection range, the operation control unit 220 activates the system processing by the system processing unit 300. Specifically, when the motion control unit 220 detects a person from a state in which the person detection unit 210 does not detect the person within the person detection range (that is, when the person is detected as approaching the electronic device 1), the system Start the process. More specifically, when the operation control unit 220 activates the system processing by the system processing unit 300, the operation control unit 220 provides the power supply unit 400 with a control signal for supplying electric power necessary for the operation of each unit of the electronic device 1. Output. After that, the operation control unit 220 outputs a start signal for instructing the system processing unit 300 to start the system processing. When the system processing unit 300 acquires the start signal, the system processing unit 300 starts the system processing and transitions to the normal operating state.

Further, the operation control unit 220 limits the system processing by the system processing unit 300 so as not to shift to the standby state when the person detection unit 210 continuously detects a person within the person detection range, and is in a normal operation state. To continue. Note that the motion control unit 220 continues for a predetermined condition (for example, a period of no operation is set in advance) even when the person detection unit 210 continuously detects a person within the person detection range. If this is the case), the transition from the normal operating state to the standby state may be performed.

Further, when the motion control unit 220 no longer detects a person from the state where the person detection unit 210 has detected the person within the person detection range (that is, when the person has detected the withdrawal from the electronic device 1). The system processing by the system processing unit 300 is changed from the normal operating state to the standby state. More specifically, the operation control unit 220 outputs a standby signal for instructing the system processing unit 300 to transition the system processing from the normal operation state to the standby state. When the system processing unit 300 acquires the standby signal, the system processing unit 300 shifts the system processing from the normal operating state to the standby state. After that, the operation control unit 220 outputs a control signal to the power supply unit 400 for stopping the supply of unnecessary power in the standby state.

The system processing unit 300 includes a CPU 302, a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) 304, a memory controller 306, an I / O (Input-Output) controller 308, a system memory 310, and an authentication processing unit 312, and includes an operating system (OS). : Various application software processes can be executed on the OS by the system process by (Operating System). CPU 302 and GPU 304 may be collectively referred to as a processor. As described above, it is possible to transition between at least a normal operating state (power-on state) and a standby state as the operating state of the system.

When the operating state of the system processing is the standby state and the start signal is input from the EC200, the CPU 302 transitions from the standby state to the normal operating state. For example, when the operating state is the sleep state, when power is supplied from the power supply unit 400 and a start signal is input from the EC200, the CPU 302 starts the start process. The CPU 302 detects and initializes a minimum number of devices such as the system memory 310 and the storage unit 360 in the startup process (preboot). The CPU 302 loads the system firmware from the storage unit 360 into the system memory 310, and detects and initializes other devices such as the communication unit 350 and the display unit 110 (post processing). Initialization includes processing such as setting initial parameters. In the transition (resume) from the sleep state to the normal operation state, a part of the post processing may be omitted. After the startup process is completed, the CPU 302 starts executing the system process by the OS (startup). For example, when the operating state is the standby state and the start signal is input from the EC200, the CPU 302 restarts the execution of the software that has been stopped.

When the CPU 302 starts executing the system process by the OS, it executes the login authentication process before permitting the use of the OS, and temporarily stops the execution of the subsequent system process until the login is permitted by the login authentication process. .. The login authentication process is a user authentication process for determining whether or not the person who uses the electronic device 1 is a pre-registered legitimate user. Login authentication includes password authentication, face authentication, fingerprint authentication and the like. Here, the case of face recognition processing will be described as an example. The CPU 302 instructs the authentication processing unit 312 to execute the face recognition processing based on the face image of the person captured by the image pickup unit 120. If the authentication result by the authentication processing unit 312 is successful, the CPU 302 permits login and resumes the execution of the system processing that has been temporarily stopped. On the other hand, if the authentication result by the authentication processing unit 312 is unsuccessful, login is not permitted and the execution of system processing is left stopped.

The GPU 304 is connected to the display unit 110. The GPU 304 executes image processing based on the control of the CPU 302 to generate display data. The GPU 304 outputs the generated display data to the display unit 110. The CPU 302 and the GPU 304 may be integrated and formed as one core, or the load may be shared between the CPU 302 and the GPU 304 formed as individual cores. The number of processors is not limited to one, and may be a plurality.

The memory controller 306 controls reading and writing of data from the system memory 310, the storage unit 360, and the like by the CPU 302 and the GPU 304.
The I / O controller 308 controls the input / output of data from the communication unit 350, the display unit 110, and the EC 200.
The system memory 310 is used as a read area for an execution program of the processor and a work area for writing processing data.

When the authentication processing unit 312 receives an instruction to execute the face recognition processing from the CPU 302, the authentication processing unit 312 executes the face recognition processing based on the face image of the person captured by the image pickup unit 120. The face image of a person captured by the image pickup unit 120 is a face image of a person approaching from the front of the electronic device 1. The face recognition process includes a face detection process and a face matching process. The face detection process is a process of determining a face area, which is a region in which a face is represented from an image signal input from the image pickup unit 120. In the face matching process, the positions of a plurality of facial feature points (for example, mouth, eyes, nose, etc.) representing facial features are obtained from the face area, and the positions and sizes of the face areas become predetermined positions and sizes, respectively. The process of defining the distribution of the normalized facial feature points as the image feature amount, and the image feature amount that was successfully collated by collating the determined image feature amount with the image feature amount related to the face image of a predetermined person. Has a process of identifying the person concerned. In the storage unit 360, authentication information as a legitimate user who logs in with the account is set for each account. The authentication information includes an image feature amount of the user's face image. The authentication information is further stored in association with user information indicating the user. The user information may be any information that can identify the user of the electronic device 1, such as a user name and a user ID (Identifier).

The authentication processing unit 312 determines that the face authentication is successful when it can be determined that the result of collating the face image of the person captured by the image pickup unit 120 with the set authentication information of the user is a match. On the other hand, the authentication processing unit 312 does not detect the face region from the image captured by the image pickup unit 120, for example, when a person other than the person using the electronic device 1 simply crosses in front of the person. The authentication processing unit 312 outputs authentication information indicating the success or failure of face authentication to the CPU 302 and EC200.

The communication unit 350 connects to other devices in a communicable manner via a wireless or wired communication network, and transmits and receives various data. For example, the communication unit 350 includes a wired LAN interface such as Ethernet (registered trademark) and a wireless LAN interface such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication unit 350 may be configured to include a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface and a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface.

The storage unit 360 includes a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a secure NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM), and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The HDD stores various programs such as an OS, a device driver, and an application, and various other data acquired by the operation of the programs. The secure NVRAM stores authentication data used for authentication of each user. In the authentication data, the identification information of each user and the authentication information are stored in association with each other. The secure NVRAM is protected (locked) so that it cannot be accessed from the operating environment of the OS via the I / O controller 308. However, the lock is released when the CPU 302 is powered on or reset, and the system firmware is executed at the end of the preboot to start the lock.

(Processing operation)
Next, the operation of the process according to the present embodiment will be described.
First, the operation of the activation process for activating the system process when the electronic device 1 detects the approach of a person will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of activation control according to the present embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the electronic device 1 is placed on a desk or the like in an open state and is in a standby state.

(Step S101) The person detection unit 210 determines whether or not the approach of a person to the electronic device 1 is detected based on the detection signal acquired from the proximity sensor 130. When the person detection unit 210 detects a person from a state in which the person is not detected within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 determines that the approach of the person to the electronic device 1 is detected. Further, the person detection unit 210 determines that the approach of the person to the electronic device 1 is not detected when the person is not detected within the person detection range. Then, when it is determined that the person detection unit 210 has not detected the approach of the person to the electronic device 1 (NO), the process of step S101 is performed again. On the other hand, when the person detection unit 210 determines that the approach of the person to the electronic device 1 is detected (YES), the process proceeds to the process of step S103.

(Step S103) The operation control unit 220 activates the system processing by the system processing unit 300. Specifically, when the operation control unit 220 activates the system processing by the system processing unit 300, the operation control unit 220 outputs a control signal for supplying the power required for the operation of each unit of the electronic device 1 to the power supply unit 400. do. Further, the operation control unit 220 outputs a start signal for instructing the CPU 302 to start the system process. When the CPU 302 acquires the start signal, the CPU 302 starts the start process. Then, the process proceeds to step S105.

(Step S105) The CPU 302 executes login authentication. For example, the CPU 302 executes a login authentication process by face authentication using a face image of a person captured by the image pickup unit 120. Specifically, the CPU 302 instructs the authentication processing unit 312 to execute the face recognition processing based on the face image of the person captured by the image pickup unit 120, and acquires the authentication result from the authentication processing unit 312. Then, the process proceeds to step S107.

(Step S107) The CPU 302 determines whether or not the authentication result is successful. If the authentication result is successful (YES), the CPU 302 proceeds to the process of step S109. On the other hand, if the authentication result is unsuccessful, the CPU 302 proceeds to the process of step S113 (NO).

(Step S109) If the authentication result is successful, the CPU 302 notifies that the login is successful (for example, displayed on the display unit 110), and continues the activation process. Then, the process proceeds to step S111.
(Step S111) The CPU 302 ends the startup process and transitions to the normal operating state.

(Step S113) If the authentication result is unsuccessful, a login failure is notified (for example, displayed on the display unit 110), and the process returns to the authentication process of step S105. If the CPU 302 fails in the authentication process a predetermined number of times in succession, the CPU 302 may stop the authentication process and transition to a state in which the login authentication process cannot be executed.

Next, the operation of the standby state transition processing for transitioning the system processing from the normal operating state to the standby state by detecting the departure of the person from the electronic device 1 will be described.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the standby state transition process according to the present embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the electronic device 1 is placed on a desk or the like in an open state and is in a normal operating state.

(Step S151) The person detection unit 210 determines whether or not the withdrawal of the person from the electronic device 1 is detected based on the detection signal acquired from the proximity sensor 130. For example, when the person detection unit 210 stops detecting a person from the state where the person is detected within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 determines that the person has been withdrawn from the electronic device 1. On the other hand, when the person detection unit 210 remains in the state of detecting the person within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 determines that the person has not been detected to leave the electronic device 1. Then, when the person detection unit 210 has not detected the departure of the person from the electronic device 1 (NO), the person detection unit 210 performs the process of step S151 again. On the other hand, when the person detection unit 210 detects the departure of the person from the electronic device 1 (YES), the process proceeds to the process of step S153.

(Step S153) The operation control unit 220 shifts the system processing by the system processing unit 300 from the normal operation state to the standby state. Specifically, the operation control unit 220 outputs a standby signal for instructing the CPU 302 to transition the system process to the standby state. When the CPU 302 acquires the standby signal, it transitions from the normal operating state to the standby state. Further, the operation control unit 220 outputs a control signal to the power supply unit 400 for stopping the supply of unnecessary power in the standby state.

As described above, in the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment, the proximity sensor 130 (an example of a detection sensor) detects infrared rays (an example of a wave motion) arriving from a person (an example of an object) and outputs a detection signal. Output. For example, the proximity sensor 130 is arranged with a plurality of detection elements that detect infrared rays (an example of wave motion) and output a detection signal. The person detection unit 210 (an example of the detection unit) is an object existing within a predetermined detection range based on a detection signal detected in a part of the detectable range in which infrared rays can be detected by the proximity sensor 130. Is detected. For example, the person detection unit 210 may use the detection signal output from the plurality of detection elements arranged in a part of the region (detectable range) in which the plurality of detection elements of the proximity sensor 130 are arranged. Based on this, a person existing within the person detection range (an example of a predetermined detection range) is detected.

As a result, the electronic device 1 detects a person using a plurality of detection elements arranged in a part of a region of the proximity sensor 130 in which the plurality of detection elements are arranged, so that all the detection elements of the proximity sensor 130 are detected. It is possible to detect the presence of a person with a wide FoV as compared with the case of using a conventional narrow FoV proximity sensor while suppressing power consumption as compared with the case of using. Therefore, the electronic device 1 can appropriately detect the presence of a person while suppressing an increase in power consumption.

For example, in the proximity sensor 130, a plurality of detection elements are arranged in a matrix as a detectable range. Then, the person detection unit 210 detects a person existing in the person detection range based on the detection signals output from the plurality of detection elements arranged in a part of the lower row among the plurality of detection elements. ..

As a result, even if the posture of the person using the electronic device 1 moves (for example, even if the head moves), the electronic device 1 keeps the chest of the person as long as the electronic device 1 is used. Since the area around the head does not move much, the presence of a person can be appropriately detected while suppressing the increase in power consumption.

Further, the electronic device 1 further includes a system processing unit (an example of the processing unit) that executes system processing, and an operation control unit 220 that controls the operation of the system processing based on the detection result by the person detection unit 210. ..

As a result, the electronic device 1 can appropriately control the operation of the system processing according to the presence or absence of a person.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Since the basic configuration of the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, characteristic processing in the present embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, a proximity sensor 130 having a wide FoV is used so that the person using the electronic device 1 does not deviate from the person detection range even if the person moves to some extent, but this does not erroneously detect the person's departure. On the other hand, there is a concern that the possibility of erroneous detection will increase when detecting the approach of a person. For example, when detecting the approach of a person, the person detection range is narrowed so that a person other than the person using the electronic device 1 does not enter the person detection range when simply crossing the front of the electronic device 1. It is preferable to set to. Therefore, in the present embodiment, an embodiment in which the person detection range when detecting the approach of a person is set narrower than the person detection range when detecting the departure of a person will be described.

The electronic device 1 is set to a different person detection range depending on whether it detects the departure of a person from the electronic device 1 or the approach of the person to the electronic device 1. Hereinafter, the detection mode for detecting the departure of a person from the electronic device 1 is referred to as a “leaving detection mode”. Further, the detection mode for detecting the approach of a person to the electronic device 1 is called "approach detection mode". The electronic device 1 is set to a detection range in which the person detection range in the approach detection mode is narrower than the person detection range in the departure detection mode. For example, the electronic device 1 sets the FoV of the proximity sensor 130 to the angle θ1 in the “disengagement detection mode” and sets the FoV of the proximity sensor 130 to the angle θ2 in the “approach detection mode”. Here, θ2 <θ1, and the angle θ2 when detecting the approach of a person is set to an angle narrower than the optimum angle θ1 for detecting the departure of a person.

Specifically, for example, as described in the first embodiment, in the "disengagement detection mode", the person detection unit 210 detects from the eight detection elements (see FIG. 6) in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130. Get the signal. As a result, in the "disengagement detection mode", the FoV (that is, the person detection range) of the proximity sensor 130 becomes the angle θ1. On the other hand, in the "approach detection mode", the person detection unit 210 narrows the FoV (that is, the person detection range) of the proximity sensor 130. Specifically, the person detection unit 210 uses a part of the detection elements among the eight detection elements in the bottom row so that the width in the row direction of the detection elements used for detecting the proximity sensor 130 is narrowed. To detect.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the proximity sensor 130 in the “approach detection mode”. In the "proximity detection mode", the detection signal is output only to the four detection elements (detection elements (cells) numbered 59 to 62) in the center of the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130. .. For example, the FoV when these four detection elements are used is in the range of an angle θ2 that is symmetrically distributed by an angle “θ2” / 2 on the left and right sides of the optical axis orthogonal to the detection surface.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a person detection range in the “approach detection mode”. This figure is a view showing the person detection range of the electronic device 1 placed on the desk as in FIG. 8 from the upper side in the vertical direction. The person detection unit 210 has a person within the person detection range based on the detection signals acquired from the four central detection elements (see FIG. 11) among the detection elements in the bottom row of the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130. Detect whether or not to do. The person detection range is a range of an angle θ2 about the optical axis AX orthogonal to the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130. The outside of the range of this angle θ2 is outside the person detection range. That is, in addition to the outside of the person detection range in the "leaving detection mode", the range that was the person detection range in the "leaving detection mode" (the range shown as outside the person detection range in the figure) is also outside the person detection range. .. When the person is at the position of U3, since a part of the body is within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 detects that the person is present. On the other hand, when the person exists at the position of U4, the person detection unit 210 detects that the person does not exist because the person's body is not within the person detection range.

In this way, the person detection unit 210 controls so that only the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130 output the detection signal (that is, in a wide detection range) in the "disengagement detection mode", and "approach". In the "detection mode", only the four detection elements in the center of the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130 are controlled to output the detection signal (that is, in a narrow detection range). That is, in the "disengagement detection mode", the person detection unit 210 determines whether or not a person exists within the person detection range based on the detection signals output from the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130. To detect. On the other hand, in the "approach detection mode", the person detection unit 210 has a person detection range based on the detection signals output from the four detection elements in the center of the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130. Detects whether or not a person exists inside.

Here, an example in which four detection elements in the center of the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130 are used when the detection range is narrow has been described, but the number is limited to four. Instead, for example, it may be 2 or 3, or 5 or 6. Alternatively, the number may be arbitrary depending on the number of detection elements arranged in the proximity sensor 130.

The person detection unit 210 determines whether or not a person is detected within the person detection range (that is, whether or not it is in the "leaving detection mode" or the "approach detection mode"). Control the person detection range. Hereinafter, the operation of the control process of the person detection range will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the control process of the person detection range according to the present embodiment.
(Step S201) The person detection unit 210 determines whether a person is detected within the person detection range or a person is not detected. When the person detection unit 210 determines that the person is detected (person detection), the person detection unit 210 proceeds to the process of step S203. On the other hand, if the person detection unit 210 determines that the person has not been detected (person not detected), the process proceeds to step S205.

(Step S203) When a person is detected within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 is set to the departure detection mode, and only the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130 detect the person. The signal is controlled to be output, and the FoV (that is, the person detection range) of the proximity sensor 130 is controlled to the angle θ1 (see FIGS. 6 and 8). Then, the person detection unit 210 detects whether or not a person exists within the person detection range based on the detection signals output from the eight detection elements in the lowermost row of the proximity sensor 130. As a result, when the electronic device 1 detects the withdrawal of a person from the electronic device 1, it detects it using a wide FoV (person detection range).

(Step S205) When the person is not detected within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 is set to the proximity detection mode, and the center of the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130. Only the four detection elements of No. 1 are controlled to output the detection signal, and the FoV (that is, the person detection range) of the proximity sensor 130 is controlled to the angle θ2 (see FIGS. 11 and 12). Then, the person detection unit 210 determines whether or not a person exists within the person detection range based on the detection signals acquired from the four central detection elements among the detection elements in the bottom row of the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130. Is detected. As a result, when the electronic device 1 detects the approach of a person to the electronic device 1, it detects it using a narrow FoV (person detection range).

As described above, the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment changes the FoV (person detection range) of the proximity sensor 130 according to the detection state of the person by the person detection unit 210. For example, when the electronic device 1 stops detecting a person from the state where the person is detected in the FoV (person detection range), the electronic device 1 narrows the FoV (person detection range). As a result, the electronic device 1 can appropriately detect the approach and departure of a person.

For example, since the electronic device 1 needs to detect the departure of a person when a person is detected, the electronic device 1 is set to a withdrawal detection mode having a FoV (person detection range) wider than that of the approach detection mode. .. On the other hand, since it is necessary to detect the approach of a person when the person is not detected, the electronic device 1 is set to the approach detection mode having a FoV (person detection range) narrower than that of the withdrawal detection mode. ..

As a result, the electronic device 1 detects the person in a relatively wide detection range when the person is detected (that is, when the person is detected to leave), so that the posture of the person moves to some extent. It is possible to prevent the transition to the standby state due to the deviation from the detection range. Further, since the electronic device 1 detects a person in a relatively narrow detection range when the person is not detected (that is, when the approach of the person is detected), a person other than the person to be used is used. It is possible to prevent the electronic device 1 from being activated by simply crossing the front of the electronic device 1 and entering the detection range. Therefore, the electronic device 1 can more reliably detect the approach and departure of the person to be used.

Although the control for switching the FoV (person detection range) according to the detection state of the person has been described here, the FoV (person detection range) may be switched according to the operation state of the system processing. The state in which a person is detected means that the electronic device 1 has transitioned to the normal operating state because the person is using the electronic device 1. Therefore, the electronic device 1 detects the withdrawal of a person in the normal operating state. On the other hand, the state in which the person is not detected means that the electronic device 1 has transitioned to the standby state because the person is absent in the vicinity of the electronic device 1. Therefore, the electronic device 1 detects the approach of a person when the person is not detected. For this reason, when the operating state of the system processing is the normal operating state, the electronic device 1 is set to the withdrawal detection mode in which the FoV (person detection range) is wider than that of the approach detection mode, and the operating state of the system processing is changed. In the standby state, the approach detection mode may be set to have a FoV (person detection range) narrower than that of the withdrawal detection mode.

The maximum detection distance (maximum detection distance in the optical axis direction orthogonal to the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130) when detecting a person existing in front of the electronic device 1 is different between the detachment detection mode and the proximity detection mode. You may. For example, the electronic device 1 may be controlled so that the maximum detection distance is shorter in the proximity detection mode than in the detachment detection mode. As a result, when the electronic device 1 detects the approach of a person, the electronic device 1 detects the person within a relatively short detection distance, so that a person other than the person to be used simply crosses in front of the electronic device 1. It is possible to prevent the device from being activated by sometimes entering the detection range.

<Third embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the second embodiment, the mode in which the person detection range is narrower in the "approach detection mode" than in the "leaving detection mode" has been described, but the detection position of the person detected within the person detection range in the "leaving detection mode" has been described. Depending on the history, the person detection range may not be narrowed even if the "approach detection mode" is set according to the person leaving.

14 and 15 are diagrams showing a histogram of detection positions where a person was detected in the past 1 minute in the “withdrawal detection mode”. The horizontal axis represents each detection element in the horizontal direction of the proximity sensor 130. The vertical axis represents the number (frequency) in which a person is detected by each detection element. In the example shown in FIG. 14, it is shown that the person was detected biased to the edge within the person detection range. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 15, a person is often detected near the center within the person detection range, indicating that the person is not biased to the edge. For example, in the past minute before the person leaves, if the person is detected biased toward the edge within the person detection range as shown in FIG. 14, the person is removed from the electronic device 1 and then the person is detected again. When approaching to use the electronic device 1, it is conceivable that the device 1 approaches the edge rather than near the center of the front surface of the electronic device 1. Therefore, when the electronic device 1 is biased toward the edge of the person detection range and the person is detected, the person detection range is not narrowed even if the electronic device 1 transitions from the "withdrawal detection mode" to the "approach detection mode". , The same range as the "leaving detection mode" may be used.

For example, the person detection unit 210 manages the history of the detection position in the person detection range of the detected person in the storage unit 360 (an example of the management unit), and detects the person within the person detection range. When it is no longer detected from, the person detection range is set based on the above history for a certain period (for example, 1 minute) in the past from the time when the detection is stopped. Specifically, the person detection unit 210 said that the person was detected biased toward the end within the person detection range based on the history of the detection position of the person within the person detection range for a certain period (for example, 1 minute). When it is determined, the person detection range is not narrowed even if the person is no longer detected within the person detection range (that is, even if the transition from the "leaving detection mode" to the "approach detection mode"). ..

Whether or not the detection position of a person is biased to the end within the person detection range may be determined, for example, by whether or not the median value of the histogram is included in the detection elements for predetermined columns on the left and right ends. As an example, the median value of the histogram is 57, 58, 63, 64 of the detection elements (cells) having numbers 57 to 64 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 for two rows on the left and right ends. When it is included in the detection element (cell) with a number, it is determined that the person is detected biased to the end within the person detection range. In the example shown in FIG. 14, since the median value of the histogram is included in the detection element (cell) with the numbers 63 and 64, it is determined that the person is detected biased to the end within the person detection range. Will be done.

On the other hand, the median value of the histogram is 59 to 62 of the detection elements (cells) with the numbers 57 to 64 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 other than the detection elements for the two rows on the left and right ends. When it is included in the detection element (cell), it is determined that the person is not biased to the end within the detection range. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 15, since the median value of the histogram is included in the detection element (cell) with the numbers 61 and 62, it is determined that the histogram is not biased to the end within the person detection range.

The method of determining whether or not the detection position of a person is biased to the edge within the person detection range is not limited to the method of determining using the median, and is, for example, the average value, the mode value, and the variance. , A method of determination using a standard deviation or the like may be used.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the control process of the person detection range according to the present embodiment.
(Step S301) The person detection unit 210 determines whether a person is detected within the person detection range or a person is not detected. When the person detection unit 210 determines that the person is detected (person detection), the person detection unit 210 proceeds to the process of step S303. On the other hand, if the person detection unit 210 determines that the person has not been detected (person not detected), the process proceeds to step S305.

(Step S303) When a person is detected within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 is set to the departure detection mode, and only the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130 detect the person. The signal is controlled to be output, and the FoV (that is, the person detection range) of the proximity sensor 130 is controlled to the angle θ1 (see FIGS. 6 and 8). Then, the person detection unit 210 detects whether or not a person exists within the person detection range based on the detection signals output from the eight detection elements in the lowermost row of the proximity sensor 130. As a result, when the electronic device 1 detects the withdrawal of a person from the electronic device 1, it detects it using a wide FoV (person detection range).

(Step S305) When the person detection unit 210 determines that a person is not detected in the person detection range (person not detected), the person detection unit 210 does not detect the person in the person detection range. Based on the history of the detection position of the person within the person detection range for a certain period (for example, 1 minute) in the past from the time of transition to, it is determined whether or not the person was detected biased to the end within the person detection range. do. When the person detection unit 210 determines that the person has been detected biased toward the end within the person detection range (YES), the process proceeds to step S307. On the other hand, when the person detection unit 210 determines that the person detection position is not biased to the end within the person detection range (NO), the process proceeds to step S309.

(Step S307) The person detection unit 210 sets the approach detection mode by determining that the person is not detected in the person detection range (person not detected), and is biased toward the edge in the person detection range. By determining that a person has been detected, only the eight detection elements at the bottom of the proximity sensor 130 are controlled to output a detection signal, and the FoV (that is, the person detection range) of the proximity sensor 130 is set to an angle θ1. (See FIGS. 6 and 8). Then, the person detection unit 210 detects whether or not a person exists within the person detection range based on the detection signal acquired from the detection element at the bottom of the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130. As a result, even when the electronic device 1 detects the approach of a person to the electronic device 1, when the person is detected biased to the end within the person detection range in the past fixed period (for example, 1 minute). Is detected using a wide FoV (person detection range).

(Step S309) The person detection unit 210 sets the approach detection mode by determining that the person is not detected (person not detected), and the detection position of the person is biased to the end within the person detection range. By determining that it is not, only the four detection elements in the center of the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130 are controlled to output the detection signal, and the FoV (that is, person detection) of the proximity sensor 130 is controlled. Range) is controlled to the angle θ2 (see FIGS. 11 and 12). Then, the person detection unit 210 determines whether or not a person exists within the person detection range based on the detection signals acquired from the four central detection elements among the detection elements in the bottom row of the detection surface of the proximity sensor 130. Is detected. As a result, the electronic device 1 detects the approach of the person to the electronic device 1, and the detection position of the person is not biased to the end within the person detection range in the past fixed period (for example, 1 minute). In some cases, it is detected using a narrow FoV (person detection range).

As a result, when the person being used leaves the electronic device 1, the electronic device 1 appropriately determines the person detection range when detecting the approach of the person after that based on the detection position of the person immediately before the departure. Can be controlled to. For example, when the electronic device 1 detects a person biased toward the end within the person detection range immediately before leaving, the electronic device 1 detects the person using a wide FoV (person detection range), and detects the person immediately before leaving. When is not biased to the edge within the person detection range, it can be detected using a narrow FoV (person detection range), so that the detection accuracy of the approach of the person can be improved.

The person detection unit 210 is biased toward the end within the person detection range for a certain period (for example, 1 minute) in the past from the time when the state in which the person is detected in the person detection range is changed to the state in which the person is not detected. When a person is detected, a narrow FoV (person detection range) may be set by using only the detection element on the end side where the person is detected among the detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130. For example, when a person is detected biased toward the left end within the person detection range as shown in FIG. 14, the person detection unit 210 has four detection elements on the left side of the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130. Only the detection element (for example, the detection element (cell) with the numbers 61 to 64 among the detection elements (cells) with the numbers 57 to 64 shown in FIG. 14) may be used. On the contrary, when the person is detected biased to the right end within the person detection range, the person detection unit 210 has four detection elements on the right side (for example, for example) of the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130. Of the detection elements (cells) with numbers 57 to 64 shown in FIG. 14, only the detection elements (cells) with numbers 57 to 60 may be used.

Here, an example of using four detection elements at the left end or the right end of the eight detection elements in the bottom row of the proximity sensor 130 has been described, but the number is not limited to four, and for example, 2 It may be 3 or 3, or 5 or 6. Alternatively, the number may be arbitrary depending on the number of detection elements arranged in the proximity sensor 130.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes designs and the like within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. The configurations described in the above embodiments can be arbitrarily combined.

In the above description, the case where the proximity sensor 130 is mainly an infrared sensor module is taken as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The proximity sensor 130 may be provided with a plurality of detection elements that can detect waves arriving from a person in a non-contact manner. As described above, the wave motion coming from an object such as a person includes the reflected wave reflected by the object and the wave motion generated by the object itself. The wave motion may be infrared rays, visible rays, or radio waves having a shorter wavelength than infrared rays. The proximity sensor 130 may be, for example, a radar sensor module (not shown). For example, when the proximity sensor 130 detects a radio wave, an object such as a person may be detected based on the radio wave intensity received by the receiving antenna, or the radio wave transmitted from the transmitting antenna is received by two or more receiving antennas. An object such as a person may be detected based on the difference in reception time. In this case, the detectable range of the proximity sensor 130 corresponds to the receivable range of the receiving antenna, and by using a part of the receiving antenna, based on the detection signal detected in a part of the detectable range. Objects such as people can be detected. Even when the proximity sensor 130 detects radio waves, by narrowing the detection range, it is possible to reduce the transmission power and the reception power, and it is possible to reduce various cost powers.

Further, the above-mentioned standby state may include a hibernation state, a power-off state, and the like. The hibernation state corresponds to, for example, the S4 state defined by ACPI. The power-off state corresponds to, for example, the S5 state (shut down state) defined by ACPI. Further, the standby state may include at least a state in which the display of the display unit is OFF (screen OFF) or a state in which the screen is locked. The screen lock is a state in which a preset image (for example, an image for screen lock) is displayed on the display unit so that the contents being processed cannot be visually recognized, and cannot be used until the lock is released (for example, user authentication). Is.

Further, in the above embodiment, the EC200 that operates independently of the system processing unit 300 may be any processing unit such as a sensor hub or a chipset, and a processing unit other than the EC200 performs the above processing instead of the EC200. You may do it. The total power consumption of the processing unit such as the EC 200 and the proximity sensor 130 is usually much smaller than the power consumption of the system processing unit 300.

The above-mentioned electronic device 1 has a computer system inside. Then, a program for realizing the functions of each configuration included in the above-mentioned electronic device 1 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into a computer system and executed. The processing in each configuration provided in the above-mentioned electronic device 1 may be performed. Here, "loading and executing a program recorded on a recording medium into a computer system" includes installing the program in the computer system. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Further, the "computer system" may include a plurality of computer devices connected via a network including a communication line such as the Internet, WAN, LAN, and a dedicated line. Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, or a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. As described above, the recording medium in which the program is stored may be a non-transient recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

The recording medium also includes an internal or external recording medium accessible from the distribution server for distributing the program. It should be noted that the program may be divided into a plurality of parts, downloaded at different timings, and then combined with each configuration provided in the electronic device 1, or the distribution server for distributing each of the divided programs may be different. Furthermore, a "computer-readable recording medium" is a volatile memory (RAM) inside a computer system that serves as a server or client when a program is transmitted via a network, and holds the program for a certain period of time. It shall include things. Further, the above program may be for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions. Further, a so-called difference file (difference program) may be used, which can realize the above-mentioned function in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

Further, a part or all of each function provided in the electronic device 1 in the above-described embodiment may be realized as an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each function may be made into a processor individually, or a part or all of them may be integrated into a processor. Further, the method of making an integrated circuit is not limited to the LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. Further, when an integrated circuit technology that replaces an LSI appears due to advances in semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit based on this technology may be used.

Further, the electronic device 1 of the above embodiment is not limited to a PC, a tablet terminal device, a smartphone, or the like, and can be applied to household electric appliances and commercial electric products. As household electric appliances, it can be applied to televisions, refrigerators equipped with a display unit, microwave ovens, and the like. For example, it is possible to control ON / OFF of the screen of the television according to the approach or withdrawal of a person, or to control ON / OFF of the screen of a display unit such as a refrigerator or a microwave oven. Further, as commercial electric products, it can be applied to vending machines, multimedia terminals and the like. For example, it is possible to control the operating state such as turning on / off the lighting of the vending machine or turning on / off the screen of the display unit of the multimedia terminal according to the approach or withdrawal of a person.

1 Electronic device, 10 1st housing, 20 2nd housing, 15 hinge mechanism, 110 display unit, 120 image pickup unit, 130 proximity sensor, 150 input device, 151 keyboard, 153 touchpad, 200 EC, 210 person detection unit , 220 operation control unit, 300 system processing unit, 302 CPU, 304 GPU, 306 memory controller, 308 I / O controller, 310 system memory, 312 authentication processing unit, 350 communication unit, 360 storage unit, 400 power supply unit.

Claims (8)

A detection sensor that detects infrared rays coming from an object and outputs a detection signal,
Based on the detection signal detected in a part of the detectable range in which the infrared rays can be detected by the detection sensor, an object existing in a predetermined detection range determined corresponding to the part of the range is detected. The detector to detect and
Equipped with
A plurality of detection elements are arranged in a matrix in the detection sensor as the detectable range.
The detection unit
An object existing within the predetermined detection range is detected based on the detection signals output from the plurality of detection elements arranged in a part of the rows below the vertical direction among the plurality of detection elements.
Electronics. The detection unit
When an object is no longer detected within the predetermined detection range, the predetermined detection range is narrowed.
The electronic device according to claim 1. The predetermined detection range is determined corresponding to the width in the row direction consisting of a plurality of detection elements arranged in the partial row.
The detection unit
The predetermined detection range is obtained by detecting using some of the detection elements arranged in the part of the rows so that the width in the row direction of the detection elements used for detection is narrowed. Narrow,
The electronic device according to claim 2. A management unit that manages the history of detection positions of an object detected by the detection unit within the predetermined detection range.
Equipped with
The detection unit
When an object is no longer detected within the predetermined detection range, the predetermined detection range is set based on the history for a certain period in the past from the time when the object is no longer detected.
The electronic device according to claim 2 or 3. The detection unit
When it is determined that the object is detected biased to the end within the predetermined detection range based on the history for a certain period of time, the object is detected within the predetermined detection range. Even if it does not, the predetermined detection range is not narrowed.
The electronic device according to claim 4. The detection unit
When an object is detected from a state where it is not detected within the predetermined detection range, the predetermined detection range is restored.
The electronic device according to claim 2. The processing unit that executes system processing and
An operation control unit that controls the operation of system processing by the processing unit based on the detection result by the detection unit, and an operation control unit.
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. It is a control method in an electronic device equipped with a detection sensor that detects infrared rays arriving from an object and outputs a detection signal.
A step of acquiring a detection signal detected in a part of the detectable range in which the infrared rays can be detected by the detection sensor, and
Based on the acquired detection signal, a step of detecting an object existing within a predetermined detection range determined corresponding to the partial range, and a step of detecting the object.
Have,
A plurality of detection elements are arranged in a matrix in the detection sensor as the detectable range.
In the detection step
An object existing within the predetermined detection range is detected based on the detection signals output from the plurality of detection elements arranged in a part of the rows below the vertical direction among the plurality of detection elements.
Control method.

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