Electronic device, control method, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic device, a control method, a storage medium, and a program product. The electronic device includes: a cooling unit that cools an interior of the electronic device; a temperature measuring unit that measures an internal temperature of the electronic device; and a controller that controls an operation of the cooling unit. The controller performs an estimation process of an ambient temperature in a use environment of the electronic apparatus based on the temperature information obtained by the temperature measuring unit, and controls a timing at which the estimation process of the ambient temperature is performed according to an operation state of the cooling unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, a control method, a storage medium and a program product, and in particular to the technical field of estimating the ambient temperature in the use environment of the electronic device. Background Art

[0002] In an electronic device such as a digital camera, since the load of image capturing processing or image processing increases due to, for example, an increase in the resolution of an image to be captured, electronic devices (referred to as heat source devices) constituting an image capturing unit, a control unit, etc. generate heat at the time of image capturing, thereby increasing the temperature of the inside and the housing of the device. Therefore, it is necessary to perform control to limit the operation of the electronic device so as not to exceed the operation guarantee temperature of the heat source device, and to limit the operation of the electronic device so as to prevent the temperature of the housing directly contacted by the user from excessively increasing.

[0003] When the operation of an electronic device is limited based on the housing temperature, it is necessary to appropriately set a threshold of the housing temperature for limiting the operation of the electronic device (hereinafter referred to as the housing temperature threshold) based on the ambient temperature in the use environment of the electronic device. In order to appropriately set the housing temperature threshold, it is necessary to obtain an accurate ambient temperature. However, in the case where the estimated ambient temperature is higher than the actual ambient temperature, the housing temperature may exceed the housing temperature threshold. In the case where the estimated ambient temperature is lower than the actual ambient temperature, the housing temperature threshold may be lowered or the operable time of the electronic device may be shortened.

[0004] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-41934 discloses a method for estimating an ambient temperature from a difference between temperatures of a thermometer installed inside an electronic device obtained at different timings according to a predetermined relational expression. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-27644 discloses a method for estimating an ambient temperature from a time when the temperature of a thermometer installed inside an electronic device drops after power-on of the electronic device is stopped.

[0005] According to the methods disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2013-41934 and 2011-27644, the heat dissipation time between the portion cooled by the cooling device and the portion not cooled by the cooling device in the electronic device may vary, and the temperatures of the thermometers at the respective portions may differ from each other. This may result in a decrease in the accuracy of the estimation of the ambient temperature. In addition, the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-27644 cannot estimate the ambient temperature during the operation of the electronic device. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and is to realize a technology for improving the estimation accuracy of the ambient temperature when cooling an electronic device.

[0007] The present invention provides an electronic device, comprising: a cooling unit, which cools the interior of the electronic device; a temperature measuring unit, which measures the internal temperature of the electronic device; and a controller, which controls the operation of the cooling unit, wherein the controller estimates the ambient temperature in the use environment of the electronic device based on temperature information obtained by the temperature measuring unit, and controls the timing of the ambient temperature estimation process according to the operating state of the cooling unit.

[0008] The present invention provides a control method for an electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes a cooling unit for cooling the interior of the electronic device and a temperature measuring unit for measuring the internal temperature of the electronic device, wherein the control method includes: estimating the ambient temperature in the use environment of the electronic device based on temperature information obtained by the temperature measuring unit; controlling the timing of the ambient temperature estimation process according to the operating state of the cooling unit; and controlling the operation of the electronic device based on the ambient temperature.

[0009] The present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the control method as described above.

[0010] The present invention provides a computer program product, which includes a program for causing a computer to execute the control method as described above.

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the ambient temperature when cooling an electronic device.

[0012] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram exemplarily showing a configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0014] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a temperature measurement unit according to the present embodiment;

[0015] Figure 3 is a flowchart exemplarily illustrating an ambient temperature estimation process and an operation restriction process of an electronic device;

[0016] Figure 4 is a diagram exemplarily showing a relationship between an operating state of a cooling unit and an ambient temperature update time according to the present embodiment; and

[0017] Figure 5A and Figure 5B: is a diagram showing a display example of the ambient temperature according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. A plurality of features are described in the embodiments, but are not limited to the invention requiring all such features, and a plurality of such features may be appropriately combined. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0019] <Device Configuration>

[0020] First, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The configuration and functions of the electronic device according to the present embodiment are described.

[0021] This embodiment will take the case where the electronic device is an image capture device such as a digital camera as an example. However, the electronic device is not limited to the image capture device, and may be a portable information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet device or other devices including a cooling unit for cooling a heat source device.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown in , the electronic device 101 includes a power supply unit 102 , a control unit 103 , a temperature measurement unit 104 , an image capturing unit 105 , a recording unit 106 , a cooling unit 107 , and a display unit 108 .

[0023] The power supply unit 102 supplies power to each component of the electronic device 101. The power supply unit 102 includes, for example, a power supply IC having a DC / DC converter. The power supply unit 102 converts, for example, a voltage supplied from a power source such as a battery or an AC adapter (not shown) into a voltage that enables each component of the electronic device 101 to operate.

[0024] The control unit 103 controls the electronic device 101 as a whole. The control unit 103 includes, for example, a system LSI having a microprocessor and a memory chip such as a DRAM. The control unit 103 controls the temperature measurement unit 104, the image capturing unit 105, the recording unit 106, and the cooling unit 107 (described later).

[0025] The temperature measuring unit 104 measures the internal temperature of the electronic device 101 and transmits the temperature information as the measurement result to the control unit 103. The temperature measuring unit 104 includes, for example, a thermistor or a digital thermometer. Figure 3In the described control process, the temperature measurement unit 104 is arranged at a position where the temperature of the housing of the electronic device 101 (hereinafter referred to as the housing temperature) or the temperature of a device serving as a heat source inside the electronic device 101 (hereinafter referred to as the heat source device) can be measured.

[0026] The housing temperature of the electronic device 101 is the temperature of a housing portion such as a casing of the electronic device 101. For example, in the case where the electronic device 101 is an image capturing device, the housing temperature is the temperature of a grip portion where a user holds the image capturing device.

[0027] In the present embodiment, the heat source devices are, for example, the system LSI and the memory IC of the control unit 103 , the power IC of the power unit 102 , and the sensor unit of the image capturing unit 105 .

[0028] The image capturing unit 105 includes an image sensor implemented by a photoelectric conversion element such as a CMOS or CCD sensor, and transmits image data captured by the image sensor to the control unit 103 .

[0029] The recording unit 106 is a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM, a memory card, a hard disk, etc. The recording unit 106 stores information indicating an arithmetic expression of the housing temperature, information indicating a correlation between the ambient temperature in the use environment of the electronic device 101 and a housing temperature threshold of the electronic device 101, information indicating an operating state of the cooling unit 107, a cooling capacity, and a correlation between parts to be cooled, etc. This information is generated in advance by performing experiments and learning processing. The operating state of the cooling unit 107 includes information related to Figure 4 The driven state of the cooling unit 107 shown in FIG. 1 corresponds to a plurality of modes, and the cooling capacity of each mode is different. The driven state of the cooling unit 107 includes a stopped state in which the cooling unit 107 is not driven. Figure 4 In the case shown in , the cooling capacity of the cooling unit 107 is lowest when the cooling unit 107 is stopped, and increases sequentially in the order of mode 1, mode 2, and mode 3.

[0030] The cooling unit 107 performs cooling to reduce the temperature rise of the housing portion of the electronic device 101 and the heat source device inside the electronic device 101. The cooling unit 107 includes, for example, a blower or a Peltier element. The control unit 103 can control the cooling capacity of the cooling unit 107 by controlling the amount of current supplied to the blower or the Peltier element. When the temperature of the heat source device is high, the cooling unit 107 needs to have a high cooling capacity. Therefore, the driving power of the cooling unit 107 increases as the temperature of the heat source device increases.

[0031] When the housing temperature of the electronic device 101 exceeds the housing temperature threshold, the control unit 103 controls to limit the operation of the electronic device 101. The housing temperature threshold is set based on the ambient temperature in the use environment of the electronic device. In addition, when the temperature of the heat source device exceeds the heat source device temperature threshold, the control unit 103 controls to limit the operation of the heat source device.

[0032] like Figure 2 As exemplarily shown in FIG. 1 , the temperature measuring unit 104 according to the present embodiment is mounted on a substrate 201 on which a heat source device 202 is mounted. The temperature measuring unit 104 includes a first thermometer 104a, a second thermometer 104b, and a third thermometer 104c, and as shown in FIG. Figure 2 Arrange as shown in . Figure 2 In the case shown in , the second thermometer 104b is arranged at the position closest to the heat source device 202, the third thermometer 104c is arranged at the position farthest from the heat source device 202, and the first thermometer 104a is arranged at a position farther from the heat source device 202 than the second thermometer 104b and closer to the heat source device 202 than the third thermometer 104c.

[0033] The first thermometer 104a and the third thermometer 104c are mainly used to monitor the housing temperature of the electronic device 101. The second thermometer 104b is mainly used to monitor the temperature of the heat source device 202. The first thermometer 104a, the second thermometer 104b and the third thermometer 104c transmit temperature information to the control unit 103 as a measurement result.

[0034] In this embodiment, the control unit 103 performs arithmetic processing on the ambient temperature based on the first temperature information Ta measured by the first thermometer 104a, the second temperature information Tb measured by the second thermometer 104b, and the third temperature information Tc measured by the third thermometer 104c.

[0035] In this embodiment, the ambient temperature Te is calculated by substituting the first temperature information Ta measured by the first thermometer 104a, the second temperature information Tb measured by the second thermometer 104b, and the third temperature information Tc measured by the third thermometer 104c into equation (1) given below.

[0036] Te=a×Ta+b×Tb+c×Tc...(1)

[0037] The coefficients a, b, and c of equation (1) are obtained, for example, by performing experiments and learning processes in advance based on the temperature rise characteristics of the electronic device 101 .

[0038] The cooling unit 107 cools the housing portion monitored by the first thermometer 104a and the heat source device 202 monitored by the second thermometer 104b.

[0039] <Control Processing>

[0040] Next, we will refer to Figure 3 The ambient temperature estimation process and the operation restriction process of the electronic device 101 according to the present embodiment are described.

[0041] Figure 3 The processing in the embodiment is realized by the control unit 103 controlling each component of the electronic device 101 by executing the program stored in the recording unit 106. Figure 3 The processing in is executed in a predetermined cycle (for example, a cycle of 1 second) after the electronic device 101 is started.

[0042] In step S301 , the control unit 103 starts time measurement by resetting the measurement time Tt of the built-in timer to zero.

[0043] In step S302 , the control unit 103 determines the operating state of the cooling unit 107 .

[0044] In step S303, the control unit 103 determines whether the operating state of the cooling unit 107 determined in step S302 has changed. When the control unit 103 determines that the operating state of the cooling unit 107 has changed, the control unit 103 advances the process to step S304. When the control unit 103 determines that the operating state of the cooling unit 107 has not changed, the control unit 103 advances the process to step S305.

[0045] In step S304, the control unit 103 sets the ambient temperature update time Tr. Figure 4 As shown in , the control unit 103 changes the ambient temperature update time Tr1 according to the operating state of the cooling unit 107, resets the measurement time Tt of the timer, and resumes the time measurement from 0. The ambient temperature update time is the time interval for performing the ambient temperature estimation process. Figure 4 In the case shown in , the higher the cooling capacity of the cooling unit 107, the shorter the ambient temperature update time. For example, in the case where the operating state of the cooling unit 107 changes from "stop" to "mode 1", the ambient temperature update time Tr is set to 3 minutes. In addition, after the electronic device 101 is activated in the initial state (for example, the state where the cooling unit 107 is stopped), the operating state of the cooling unit 107 is "stop", so the ambient temperature update time Tr is set to 10 minutes.

[0046] In step S305, the control unit 103 determines whether the measured time Tt of the timer has reached the ambient temperature update time Tr. In the case where the control unit 103 determines that the measured time Tt of the timer has reached the ambient temperature update time Tr, the control unit 103 advances the process to step S306. In the case where the control unit 103 determines that the measured time Tt of the timer has not reached the ambient temperature update time Tr, the control unit 103 advances the process to step S308.

[0047] In step S306 , the control unit 103 obtains the first temperature information Ta, the second temperature information Tb and the third temperature information Tc from the temperature measuring unit 104 .

[0048] In step S307, the control unit 103 performs an ambient temperature estimation process. The control unit 103 performs an estimation arithmetic operation on the ambient temperature Te by substituting the first temperature information Ta, the second temperature information Tb, and the third temperature information Tc obtained in step S303 into equation (1). Then, Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown in , the control unit 103 notifies the user of the obtained ambient temperature Te by displaying the obtained ambient temperature Te on the display unit 108 .

[0049] In step S308, the control unit 103 determines whether the housing temperature T1 of the electronic device 101 has reached the housing temperature threshold value T1th, or determines whether the heat source device temperature T2 of the electronic device 101 has reached the heat source device temperature threshold value T2th. The control unit 103 determines whether the first temperature information Ta has reached the first temperature threshold value Tath, whether the second temperature information Tb has reached the second temperature threshold value Tbth, and whether the third temperature information Tc has reached the third temperature threshold value Tcth. In the case where the control unit 103 determines that the first temperature information Ta has reached the first temperature threshold value Tath, the second temperature information Tb has reached the second temperature threshold value Tbth, or the third temperature information Tc has reached the third temperature threshold value Tcth, the control unit 103 causes the process to proceed to step S309. In the case where the control unit 103 determines that the first temperature information Ta has not reached the first temperature threshold value Tath, the second temperature information Tb has not reached the second temperature threshold value Tbth, or the third temperature information Tcth has not reached the third temperature threshold value Tcth, the control unit 103 causes the process to return to step S302.

[0050] The second temperature threshold Tbth is the operation limit temperature of the heat source device 202 and is a fixed value regardless of the ambient temperature Te. The first temperature threshold Tath and the third temperature threshold Tcth are temperatures for limiting the increase in the housing temperature and are variably set based on the ambient temperature Te.

[0051] For example, in the case where the first temperature threshold Tath at the ambient temperature Te0 is Tath0, the first temperature threshold Tath is obtained according to the ambient temperature Te estimated in step S307 according to equation (2) given below.

[0052] Tath=Tath0+(Te–Te0)...(2)

[0053] In step S309, the control unit 103 notifies the user to stop the operation of the electronic device 101 by displaying corresponding information on the display unit 108, thereby limiting the operation of the electronic device 101. The control unit 103 performs a shutdown process on the electronic device 101. The shutdown process includes a process of stopping the supply of power to the heat source device, a process of switching the operation mode of the electronic device 101 to a low power state or a sleep state, and a process of stopping the supply of power to the electronic device 101.

[0054] In addition to the case where the ambient temperature update time Tr has passed in step S305, the ambient temperature estimation processing in step S307 can also be performed when the first temperature information Ta and the third temperature information Tc used for the estimated arithmetic operation of the ambient temperature Te are reduced or when the electronic device 101 operates with low power consumption (power consumption < power threshold).

[0055] The present embodiment is configured to reduce the possibility that the estimation accuracy of the ambient temperature Te deteriorates due to the difference in heat dissipation state between the portion cooled by the cooling unit 107 and the portion not cooled by the cooling unit 107 in the electronic device 101. In the present embodiment, the timing of performing the estimation arithmetic operation on the ambient temperature Te is controlled according to the operating state of the cooling unit 107. More specifically, the ambient temperature update time Tr is changed according to the cooling capacity corresponding to the operating mode of the cooling unit 107. Therefore, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the ambient temperature Te by setting the ambient temperature update time Tr according to the operating state of the cooling unit 107.

[0056] In the present embodiment, from the diagram showing the relationship with the operation mode of the cooling unit 107 at the time point when the operation state of the cooling unit 107 changes, Figure 4 The ambient temperature update time Tr is determined. However, in the case where the timer measurement time Tt, which is the time elapsed until step S304, is shorter than the ambient temperature update time Tr after the change, the ambient temperature update time Tr may be changed to the remaining time of the timer measurement time Tt, and the timer measurement time Tt may be reset to 0. By setting the time from before the operation state of the cooling unit 107 changes to the timer measurement time Tt elapses as the ambient temperature update time Tr, the ambient temperature may be estimated in a shorter time than when the operation state of the cooling unit 107 changes.

[0057] In step S304, the ambient temperature update time Tr after the operation state of the cooling unit 107 is changed may be set to Tr1, and may be changed according to equation (3) given below.

[0058] Tr=Tr1–a×Tt...(3)

[0059] In equation (3), a is a weight coefficient corresponding to the operating state of the cooling unit 107 , and increases as the cooling capacity of the cooling unit 107 increases.

[0060] According to equation (3), the time is obtained by subtracting the following time from the ambient temperature update time Tr1 corresponding to the operating state of the cooling unit 107: the time obtained by multiplying the remaining time Tt until the ambient temperature update time Tr1 set before the operating state of the cooling unit 107 changes by a predetermined coefficient a.

[0061] Therefore, the external temperature estimation can be performed in a shorter time than when the operating state of the cooling unit 107 changes.

[0062] In addition, in step S307, when the ambient temperature is displayed on the display unit 108 to notify the user of the ambient temperature, the arithmetic operation result of the ambient temperature may be as follows: Figure 5A and Figure 5B For example, Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown in , when the ambient temperature is updated from 20°C to 30°C, the ambient temperature can be notified to the user by updating 1°C of the ambient temperature every 10 seconds, rather than displaying the update result corresponding to 10°C at one time, thus not causing any discomfort.

[0063] According to the present embodiment, the estimation accuracy of the ambient temperature can be improved when the cooling unit 107 cools the electronic device 101 .

[0064] [Other embodiments]

[0065] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by providing software (program) for performing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer or a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program.

[0066] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.The following claims are to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: a cooling unit that cools the interior of the electronic device; a temperature measuring unit, the temperature measuring unit measuring an internal temperature of the electronic device; as well as a controller that controls the operation of the cooling unit, The controller estimates the ambient temperature in the use environment of the electronic device based on the temperature information obtained by the temperature measurement unit, and controls the timing of the ambient temperature estimation process according to the operating state of the cooling unit.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The temperature measuring unit includes a plurality of thermometers that measure temperatures of a plurality of parts inside the electronic device, and The control unit performs an estimation arithmetic operation of the ambient temperature based on temperature information of the plurality of thermometers and a predetermined arithmetic expression.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The operation state of the cooling unit includes information related to a cooling capacity of the cooling unit and a portion to be cooled.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The timing is a time interval for performing the estimation process.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein: The time interval is shortened as the cooling capacity of the cooling unit increases.

6. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein: The time interval includes a time interval pre-set according to the operating state of the cooling unit, a remaining time until a time interval set before the operating state of the cooling unit changes, or a time obtained by subtracting the following time from the time interval pre-set according to the operating state of the cooling unit: a time obtained by multiplying the remaining time until a time interval set before the operating state of the cooling unit changes by a predetermined coefficient.

7. The electronic device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein: The controller notifies the ambient temperature updated according to the time interval.

8. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The operating state of the cooling unit includes a plurality of driven states and a stopped state.

9. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The temperature measuring unit includes a thermometer for measuring the temperature of the housing of the electronic device, and The controller obtains a threshold value of the housing temperature of the electronic device based on the ambient temperature, and limits the operation of the electronic device when the housing temperature reaches the threshold value.

10. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The temperature measuring unit includes a thermometer that measures a temperature of a heat source of the electronic device, and When the temperature of the heat source reaches a threshold value, the controller limits the operation of the electronic device.

11. A method for controlling an electronic device, wherein: The electronic device includes a cooling unit that cools the inside of the electronic device and a temperature measuring unit that measures the internal temperature of the electronic device. Wherein, the control method comprises: Based on the temperature information obtained by the temperature measuring unit, a step of estimating the ambient temperature in the use environment of the electronic device is performed, the step of controlling the timing of performing the ambient temperature estimation process according to the operating state of the cooling unit, and The step of controlling the operation of the electronic device based on the ambient temperature.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein: The temperature measuring unit includes a plurality of thermometers that measure temperatures of a plurality of parts inside the electronic device, and The estimation process of the ambient temperature includes performing an estimation arithmetic operation of the ambient temperature based on the temperature information of the plurality of thermometers and a predetermined arithmetic expression.

13. The control method according to claim 11, wherein: The operation state of the cooling unit includes information related to a cooling capacity of the cooling unit and a portion to be cooled.

14. The control method according to claim 11, wherein: The timing is a time interval for performing the estimation process.

15. The control method according to claim 14, wherein: The time interval is shortened as the cooling capacity of the cooling unit increases.

16. The control method according to claim 14, wherein: The time interval includes a time interval pre-set according to the operating state of the cooling unit, a remaining time until a time interval set before the operating state of the cooling unit changes, or a time obtained by subtracting the following time from the time interval pre-set according to the operating state of the cooling unit: a time obtained by multiplying the remaining time until a time interval set before the operating state of the cooling unit changes by a predetermined coefficient.

17. The control method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, comprising the step of notifying the ambient temperature updated according to the time interval.

18. The control method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein: The operating state of the cooling unit includes a plurality of driven states and a stopped state.

19. The control method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein: The temperature measuring unit includes a thermometer for measuring the temperature of the housing of the electronic device, and The step of controlling the operation of the electronic device includes the steps of: obtaining a threshold value of the housing temperature of the electronic device based on the ambient temperature; and limiting the operation of the electronic device when the housing temperature reaches the threshold value.

20. The control method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein: The temperature measuring unit includes a thermometer that measures a temperature of a heat source of the electronic device, and The step of controlling the operation of the electronic device includes the step of limiting the operation of the electronic device when the temperature of the heat source reaches a threshold value. 21 . A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 11 . 22 . A computer program product, comprising a program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 11 .

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