JPH11338575A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a notebook type personal computer having an opening/ closing mechanism which is easily adjusted in operation angle where a display part is powered on or off and can have plural operation angles set. SOLUTION: The display part 1 and a main body part 2 are fitted rotatably with a hinge 3. A variable resistor 4 is fixed to the main body part 2, the variable knob 5 of the variable resistor 4 is provided coaxially with the center of rotation of the hinge 3, and the tip of the knob 5 is held by a fixing metal 9 fixed to the display part 1. As the display part 1 is opened or closed, the knob 5 rotates according to the opening/closing angle, so the voltage from the variable resistor 4 to an output line 13 varies. The opening/closing angle is detected from the voltage of the output line 13 and a control means 14 performs a power-saving control corresponding to the operation point.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a word processor or a portable personal computer having an opening / closing angle detecting section for detecting an operating angle of the opening / closing angle between a display section and a main body section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electronic device having a display unit such as a liquid crystal display device such as a word processor or a notebook computer, even when a power switch of a main body is turned on, a current flows through the display unit when the display unit is closed. I try not to flow. A switch for turning on / off the current is provided near the pivoting portion of the hinge to detect the opening / closing angle of the display unit. When the display unit is closed, not only the display unit but also electronic circuit components and H
Measures have been taken to save power by turning off the power of functional units such as DDs.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a switch in a conventional personal computer. In the figure, 101 is a personal computer main body, 1
02 is a display unit, 103 is a hinge, 104 is a power switch, 105 is a push switch provided on the main unit 101,
Reference numeral 106 denotes a protrusion provided on the display unit 102. Display unit 10
When the shutter 2 is closed, the projection 106 pushes the push switch 105 to cut off the current to the display unit 102.

In the era when the personal computer body was thick, the dimensions of the push switch 105 and the projection 106 could be designed to be large, so that the opening / closing operation angle could be sufficiently detected by the conventional method. Was.

[0005] The operating angle of the push switch 105 is usually adjusted so that it is turned on when the display unit 102 is opened about 10 mm from the closed state. However, it has become impossible to use switches with large strokes in recent thin notebook computers. For this reason, in the conventional method in which the opening / closing angle at which the switch operates is determined by the positional relationship between the push switch 105 and the projection 106, the stroke of the push switch 103 is reduced, and the operating angle at which the push switch 105 is turned on / off is reduced. (ON when the display is opened about 10 mm) is difficult to adjust accurately.

Further, since the push switch 105 is exposed, the push switch 105 is erroneously pressed during operation of the keyboard, and the operating angle of the switch changes due to mechanical wear caused by ON / OFF of the switch.
There were problems such as unfavorable appearance.

Further, as another problem, since the method of detecting the opening / closing operation angle by the push switch is ON / OFF control, only one operation angle can be set. For this reason, there is also a problem that only power saving control such as turning off the power of the display unit when the display unit is closed can be performed.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a thin information processing apparatus capable of setting an opening / closing operation angle of a display unit without complicated operation angle adjustment. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus having an open / close detector capable of continuously detecting the angle between the display unit and the main body, thereby providing a fine-grained information processing apparatus. An information processing device capable of power saving control can be provided.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having an angle detecting section for detecting an angle formed between a main body of the information processing apparatus and a display section by converting the angle into an electric signal. Therefore, the operating angle can be adjusted by electrical means,
Adjustment of the operating angle is easy. In addition, the operating angle is stable because there is no mechanical wear unlike the push switch. Further, since a plurality of operation angles can be set, fine power saving control corresponding to the opening / closing angle of the display unit can be performed by connecting the angle detection unit to the operation mode switching unit.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first aspect of the present invention provides an information processing apparatus main body, a display, a hinge for rotatably mounting the information processing apparatus main body and the display, and the information processing apparatus. An information processing device comprising an angle detection unit that detects an opening and closing angle between the device main body and the display unit, and the operation angle can be adjusted by electrical means.
Adjustment of the operating angle is easy. Also, there is no possibility that the push switch is accidentally pressed while operating the keyboard.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the angle detecting section is a variable resistor, and the cost is low, the size is small, and the reliability is high. An information processing device having an angle detection unit can be provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the angle detecting axis of the angle detecting section is provided coaxially with the rotation axis of the hinge section. An information processing apparatus having a compact angle detection unit is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus main body, a display, an angle detector for detecting an angle between the information processor main body and the display, and a connection to the angle detector. An information processing apparatus comprising: an operation mode switching unit configured to connect a continuous detection signal from an angle detection unit to the operation mode switching unit, thereby enabling fine power saving control. A processing device can be provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the fourth aspect, the operation mode switching means switches the luminance of the backlight.
It is possible to provide an information processing device capable of performing power saving control of a backlight according to an opening / closing angle of a display portion.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the operation mode switching means switches ON / OFF of a display signal of the display unit. And an information processing apparatus capable of performing power saving control on the display unit in accordance with the opening / closing angle of the display unit.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspect of the present invention, the operation mode switching means includes an internal peripheral power supply and an external peripheral power supply of the information processing apparatus main body. Power supply or system power system O
N / OFF switching,
It is possible to provide an information processing apparatus capable of performing power saving control of the entire main body in accordance with the opening / closing angle of the display unit.

(Embodiment 1) An example of a notebook personal computer will be described as an information processing apparatus provided with an angle detection unit of the present invention in Embodiment 1.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a notebook personal computer provided with an angle detector according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a display unit,
2 is a PC main body part, 3 is a hinge part, 4 is a variable resistor,
Reference numeral 5 denotes a variable knob of the variable resistor 4.

One end of the hinge part 3 is fixed to the personal computer main body 2 by a screw 6, and the other end is fixed to the display part 1 by a screw 7. In the example of FIG. 1, the variable resistor 4 is attached to the left hinge section 3 side, and is fixed to the personal computer main body 2 by screws 8. The rotation center of the variable knob 5 is provided coaxially with the rotation center axis 11 of the hinge 3, and the variable knob 5
Is fixed by a knob fixing device 9. The knob fixing device 9 is fixed to the display unit 1 by screws 10.

The variable resistor 4 has an input line 12 from a power source.
And the output line 13 connected to the control means 14.

When the display unit 1 is closed in the closing direction from the open state in FIG. 1, the variable knob 5 rotates counterclockwise, and the output signal changes. This output change corresponds to the opening / closing angle between the display unit 1 and the information processing device main unit 2, and the variable resistor 4
The opening angle can be known from the output from.

The control means 14 performs a control corresponding to the output signal, for example, a control such as shutting off all the inputs to the display unit 1 when the output becomes below a certain value. The details of the control means 14 will be described in the second embodiment.

According to this method, the angle detecting section is the display section 1
Since the opening / closing angle is detected, the detection accuracy does not decrease even in the case of a thin personal computer, and there is substantially no need to individually adjust the operating angle in the manufacturing process.

When an accurate operation angle is required, the operation angle can be easily adjusted by changing the threshold value in the control means 14.

When not only the input to the display unit 1 is shut off when the display unit 1 is closed but also the power saving control described in the second embodiment, the power saving of the power supply of the main body unit 2 can be achieved. Can also be controlled.

Furthermore, since the notebook personal computer of the first embodiment does not have a protruding portion unlike a conventional push switch, there is no possibility that the backlight of the display section is turned off by accidentally pressing the switch during operation.

(Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 describes an example of a personal computer which realizes power saving by inputting an output signal from an angle detecting section to a control section having power saving operation mode switching means. I do.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the personal computer.
In the figure, reference numeral 301 denotes a variable resistor, 302 denotes a line for outputting a voltage corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor, 303 denotes a microcomputer for controlling the entire power supply, and includes an AD converter 310, an internal memory 311, a CPU 312, and an I / O.
A / O interface 313 is incorporated. Reference numeral 304 denotes an inverter having a function of changing the brightness of the backlight 317 according to an output from the microcomputer 303;
5 is a microcomputer 303 and a system control unit 31
4 is a system bus for transmitting and receiving commands between the four. The system control unit 314 includes a CPU 315 and a video control unit 316.
Is controlling.

Reference numeral 306 denotes an external peripheral device (for example, FDD,
A power supply circuit for supplying power to a serial port or a parallel port); a power supply circuit for supplying power to internal peripheral devices (for example, a backlight or an HDD);
Is a power supply circuit for supplying power to the entire system (for example, a main board), and 309 is a power supply circuit for backing up the system (for example, a memory and a core chip).

In the internal memory 311 of the microcomputer 303, operations to be performed at the respective opening / closing angles are set. The microcomputer 303 constantly detects a voltage corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor 301, and recognizes the opening angle based on the detected voltage. When the display unit 1 is opened and closed, the resistance value of the variable resistor 301 changes and appears as a change in the voltage value of the input line 302.
The voltage value of the input line 302 is converted into an angle by a voltage angle conversion procedure programmed in the CPU 312, and then compared with the angle described in the memory 311.
A process according to the content stored in the memory 311 is performed.

[0032]

[Table 1]

Table 1 shows an example of the contents of the memory 311 in which the operation contents are defined. The memory 311 stores an opening / closing angle of the display unit 1 and operation contents according to the angle in a table format corresponding to each one-to-one.

In the example of Table 1, when the opening / closing angle of the display unit 1 is 30 degrees or more, the normal operation is performed. When the opening / closing angle is closed to 30 degrees, the backlight 317 is turned off.
F, the system is set to enter a suspend state at 10 degrees, and the system enters a suspend state at 0 degrees.

When the display unit 1 is opened to a use state (30 degrees or more), the internal peripheral power supply 307, the external peripheral power supply 306, the system power supply 308, and the backup power supply 309 are all turned on.
Is done.

When the display unit 1 is closed to an angle of 30 degrees, the backlight 317 is turned off and the power consumption of the entire system is reduced. When the display unit 1 is opened at an angle of 30 degrees or more from this state, the backlight 317 is immediately turned on and the display unit 1 can be returned to the usable state.

When the opening / closing angle is closed to 20 degrees, the video circuit is turned off, and the power consumption is further reduced from the closed state of 30 degrees. In this case, it takes a little time to return the video display, but this is effective for power saving in the case of performing processing that does not require long-time calculation or display.

Further, when the opening / closing angle is closed to 10 degrees, the system enters a standby state (the clock of the CPU 315 is stopped, and the external peripheral power supply 306 is turned off), so that the power consumption can be further reduced. In this mode, it takes more time to return to the usable state by setting the opening angle to 30 degrees or more than when the video circuit is turned off, but this greatly contributes to power saving. This is effective when temporarily taking a break during operation.

When the opening / closing angle is closed to 0 degrees, the system enters a suspend state (the system power supply 308 is turned off). All power supplies are off except for the backup power supply, and it takes time to recover, but the power consumption can be reduced to the minimum necessary. It is effective when not using for a long time.

The notebook personal computer of the present invention can set a plurality of power saving modes according to the opening / closing angle of the display unit as described above, and the user can adjust the opening / closing angle of the display unit according to the use situation. Thus, an effective power saving mode can be obtained.

In the example shown in Table 1, the backlight 317 is turned on or off.
The backlight 31 in a stepwise manner according to the opening / closing angle.
By making the luminance of 7 dark, power can be further finely saved.

[0042]

As described above, the present invention is an information processing apparatus having an angle detecting section for detecting an opening / closing angle between a display section and a main body section. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus capable of adjusting the opening / closing operation angle of the display unit without complicated adjustment. Further, since the angle between the display unit and the main body can be continuously detected, the information processing apparatus of the present invention can perform fine power saving control.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an angle detection unit of a notebook computer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a notebook computer with an operation mode switching function according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an open / close detection mechanism of a display unit in a conventional personal computer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display part 2 Personal computer main body part 3 Hinge part 4 Variable resistor 5 Variable knob 6, 7, 8, 10 Screw 9 Fixture 11 Rotation center axis 12 Input line 13 Output line 14 Control means

Claims (7)

[Claims] An information processing apparatus main body; a display; a hinge for rotatably mounting the information processing apparatus main body and the display; and an opening / closing angle between the information processing apparatus main body and the display. An information processing apparatus, comprising: an angle detection unit that detects an angle. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said angle detecting section is a variable resistor. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle detection axis of the angle detection section is provided coaxially with a rotation axis of the hinge section. 4. An information processing device main unit, a display unit, an angle detection unit for detecting an angle between the information processing device main unit and the display unit, and an operation mode switching unit connected to the angle detection unit. An information processing apparatus characterized by being configured. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said operation mode switching means switches the luminance of the backlight. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said operation mode switching means switches ON / OFF of a display signal of said display unit. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operation mode switching means switches ON / OFF of an internal peripheral power supply, an external peripheral power supply, or a system power supply system of the information processing apparatus main body. Alternatively, the information processing apparatus according to claim 6.