Electronic apparatus, control method and program

Abstract

To improve the estimation accuracy of an outdoor temperature when an electronic apparatus is cooled.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus comprises: cooling means for cooling the inside of the electronic apparatus; control means for controlling the operation of the cooling means; and temperature measurement means for measuring the internal temperature of the electronic apparatus. The control means executes processing for estimating the outdoor temperature in the use environment of the electronic apparatus based on temperature information obtained by the temperature measurement means, and controls timing for executing the estimation processing of the outdoor temperature according to the operation conditions of the cooling means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for estimating the outside air temperature in the usage environment of an electronic device.

Background Art

[0002] In electronic devices such as digital cameras, the load of imaging processing and image processing increases due to higher definition of images to be captured, etc., and thus electronic devices (hereinafter referred to as heat source devices) constituting the imaging unit, control unit, etc. generate heat during shooting, causing the temperature inside and outside the device to rise. For this reason, it is necessary to limit the operation of the electronic device so as not to exceed the operating guarantee temperature of the heat source device, or to limit the operation of the electronic device so that the temperature of the exterior that the user directly touches does not rise too much.

[0003] Also, when limiting the operation of an electronic device based on the exterior temperature, it is necessary to appropriately set a threshold value of the exterior temperature (hereinafter referred to as the exterior temperature threshold value) for limiting the operation of the electronic device based on the outside air temperature in the usage environment of the electronic device. And, in order to set an appropriate exterior temperature threshold value, it is necessary to obtain an accurate outside air temperature. However, if the estimated outside air temperature is higher than the actual outside air temperature, the exterior temperature may exceed the exterior temperature threshold value, or if the estimated outside air temperature is lower than the actual outside air temperature, the exterior temperature threshold value may become low, and the operable time of the electronic device may be shortened.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a method of obtaining the temperature of a thermometer installed inside an electronic device at different timings and estimating the outside air temperature from the difference in the obtained temperatures using a predetermined relational expression. Patent Document 2 describes a method of estimating the outside air temperature from the time it takes for the temperature of a thermometer installed inside the electronic device to decrease after the power supply to the electronic device is stopped.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the heat dissipation time changes between the part cooled by the cooling device in the electronic device and the part not cooled by the cooling device, and a difference occurs in the temperature of the thermometer at each part, which may reduce the estimation accuracy of the outside air temperature. Further, in Patent Document 2, the outside air temperature during the operation of the electronic device cannot be estimated.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to realize a technique for improving the estimation accuracy of the outside air temperature when the electronic device is cooled.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the electronic device of the present invention includes a cooling means for cooling the inside of the electronic device, a control means for controlling the operation of the cooling means, and a temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature inside the electronic device. The control means performs a process of estimating the outside air temperature in the usage environment of the electronic device based on the temperature information obtained by the temperature measuring means, and controls the timing of performing the estimation process of the outside air temperature according to the operation state of the cooling means.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the outside air temperature when the electronic device is cooled.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] <Device Configuration> First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the configuration and functions of the electronic device in this embodiment will be described.

[0013] In this embodiment, the case where the electronic device is an imaging device such as a digital camera will be described. However, the electronic device is not limited to an imaging device, and may be a portable information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet device, or a device having a cooling unit for cooling other heat source devices.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 101 includes a power supply unit 102, a control unit 103, a temperature measurement unit 104, an imaging unit 105, a recording unit 106, a cooling unit 107, and a display unit 108.

[0015] 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 including a DC / DC converter or the like. The power supply unit 102 converts, for example, the voltage supplied from a power source such as a battery (not shown) or an AC adapter into a voltage at which components constituting each component of the electronic device 101 can operate.

[0016] The control unit 103 controls the entire electronic device 101. The control unit 103 includes, for example, a system LSI including a microprocessor and a memory chip such as a DRAM. Further, the control unit 103 controls a temperature measurement unit 104, an imaging unit 105, a recording unit 106, and a cooling unit 107, which will be described later.

[0017] The temperature measurement unit 104 measures the temperature inside the electronic device 101 and transmits the temperature information of the measurement result to the control unit 103. The temperature measurement unit 104 includes, for example, a thermistor or a digital thermometer. The temperature measurement unit 104 is arranged at a position where it can measure the temperature of the exterior of the electronic device 101 (hereinafter referred to as the exterior temperature) and the temperature of a device that is a heat source inside the electronic device 101 (hereinafter referred to as the heat source device) in the control process described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0018] The exterior temperature of the electronic device 101 is the temperature of the exterior part such as the housing of the electronic device 101. For example, when the electronic device 101 is an imaging device, it is the temperature of the grip part for the user to hold the imaging device.

[0019] In the present embodiment, the heat source devices are, for example, the system LSI and the memory IC included in the control unit 103, the power supply IC of the power supply unit 102, the sensor unit of the imaging unit 105, and the like.

[0020] The imaging unit 105 includes an image sensor composed of a photoelectric conversion element such as a CMOS or a CCD. The imaging unit 105 transmits the image data captured by the image sensor to the control unit 103.

[0021] The recording unit 106 is a non-volatile memory such as a ROM, a memory card, a hard disk, etc. The recording unit 106 stores information indicating an arithmetic expression of the outside air temperature, information indicating the correlation between the outside air temperature and the exterior temperature threshold of the electronic device 101 in the usage environment of the electronic device 101, information indicating the correlation between the operating state, cooling capacity, and cooling location of the cooling unit 107, and the like. These pieces of information are generated by performing experiments and learning processes in advance. The operating state of the cooling unit 107 includes a plurality of modes according to the driving state of the cooling unit 107 as shown in FIG. 4, and the cooling capacity differs for each mode. Note that the driving state of the cooling unit 107 includes a stopped state in which the cooling unit 107 is not driven. In the example of FIG. 4, the cooling capacity is the lowest when the cooling unit 107 is stopped, and the cooling capacity increases in the order of mode 1, mode 2, and mode 3.

[0022] The cooling unit 107 cools to reduce the temperature rise of the exterior 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 fan 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 fan or the Peltier element. When the temperature of the heat source device is high, the cooling unit 107 requires a high cooling capacity, so the driving power of the cooling unit 107 increases as the temperature of the heat source device rises.

[0023] When the exterior temperature of the electronic device 101 exceeds the exterior temperature threshold, the control unit 103 performs control to limit the operation of the electronic device 101. The exterior temperature threshold is set based on the outside air temperature in the usage environment of the electronic device. Further, when the heat source device exceeds the heat source device temperature threshold, the control unit 103 performs control to limit the operation of the heat source device.

[0024] The temperature measurement unit 104 of the present embodiment is mounted on the substrate 201 on which the heat source device 202 is mounted, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The temperature measurement unit 104 includes a first thermometer 104a, a second thermometer 104b, and a third thermometer 104c, and is arranged as shown in the figure. In the example of FIG. 2, 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.

[0025] The first thermometer 104a and the third thermometer 104c are mainly used to monitor the exterior 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 as a measurement result to the control unit 103.

[0026] In the present embodiment, the control unit 103 performs an estimation calculation of the outside air 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.

[0027] In the present embodiment, the outside air temperature Te is calculated by substituting the first temperature information Ta of the first thermometer 104a, the second temperature information Tb of the second thermometer 104b, and the third temperature information Tc of the third thermometer 104c into the following formula 1. (Formula 1) Te = a×Ta + b×Tb + c×Tc The coefficients a, b, and c in Formula 1 are obtained, for example, by performing experiments and learning processes in advance based on the temperature rise characteristics of the electronic device 101.

[0028] The cooling unit 107 cools the exterior part monitored by the first thermometer 104a and the heat source device 202 monitored by the second thermometer 104b.

[0029] <Control processing> Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the estimated processing and operation restriction processing of the outside air temperature by the electronic device 101 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0030] The processing in FIG. 3 is realized by the control unit 103 executing the program stored in the recording unit 106 to control each component of the electronic device 101. Further, the processing in FIG. 3 is executed at a predetermined cycle (for example, a cycle of 1 second) after the electronic device 101 is started, for example.

[0031] In step S301, the control unit 103 resets the measurement time Tt of the built-in timer to zero and starts time measurement.

[0032] In step S302, the control unit 103 determines the operation state of the cooling unit 107.

[0033] In step S303, the control unit 103 determines whether or not the operation state of the cooling unit 107 determined in step S302 has changed. If the control unit 103 determines that the operation state of the cooling unit 107 has changed, the process proceeds to step S304, and if it determines that the operation state of the cooling unit 107 has not changed, the process proceeds to step S305.

[0034] In step S304, the control unit 103 sets the outside air temperature update time Tr. The control unit 103 changes to the outside air temperature update time Tr according to the operation state of the cooling unit 107 as shown in FIG. 4, resets the measurement time Tt of the timer, and resumes time measurement from zero. The outside air temperature update time is the time interval for performing the estimated calculation of the outside air temperature. In the example of FIG. 4, the higher the cooling capacity of the cooling unit 107, the shorter the outside air temperature update time. For example, when the operation state of the cooling unit 107 changes from "stop" to "mode 1", the outside air temperature update time Tr is set to 3 minutes. Also, in the initial state, for example, when the cooling unit 107 is stopped and the electronic device 101 is started, since the operation state of the cooling unit 107 is "stop", the outside air temperature update time Tr is set to 10 minutes.

[0035] In step S305, the control unit 103 determines whether the measured time Tt of the timer has reached the outside air temperature update time Tr. If the control unit 103 determines that the measured time Tt of the timer has reached the outside air temperature update time Tr, the process proceeds to step S306. If the control unit 103 determines that the measured time Tt of the timer has not reached the outside air temperature update time Tr, the process proceeds to step S308.

[0036] In step S306, the control unit 103 acquires the first temperature information Ta, the second temperature information Tb, and the third temperature information Tc from the temperature measurement unit 104.

[0037] In step S307, the control unit 103 performs an estimation process for the outside air temperature. The control unit 103 substitutes the first temperature information Ta, the second temperature information, and the third temperature information Tc acquired in step S303 into Equation 1 to perform an estimation calculation of the outside air temperature Te. Then, the control unit 103 displays the obtained outside air temperature Te on the display unit 108 as shown in FIG. 5 and notifies the user.

[0038] In step S308, the control unit 103 determines whether the exterior temperature T1 of the electronic device 101 has reached the exterior temperature threshold value T1th, or 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, or whether the third temperature information Tc has reached the third temperature threshold value Tcth. If 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 process proceeds to step S309. If 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 Tc has not reached the third temperature threshold value Tcth, the process returns to step S302.

[0039] The second temperature threshold Tbth is the operating limit temperature of the heat source device 202 and is a fixed value regardless of the outside air temperature Te. The first temperature threshold Tath and the third temperature threshold Tcth are temperatures that suppress the temperature rise of the exterior temperature and are variably set based on the outside air temperature Te.

[0040] For example, when the first temperature threshold Tath at the outside air temperature Te0 is Tath0, the first temperature threshold Tath is obtained from the outside air temperature Te estimated in step S307 by the following formula 2. (Formula 2) Tath = Tath0+(Te - Te0) In step S309, in order to limit the operation of the electronic device 101, the control unit 103 notifies the user by displaying on the display unit 108 to stop the operation of the electronic device 101. Then, the control unit 103 performs a shutdown process of the electronic device 101. The shutdown process includes, for example, a process of stopping the power supply to the heat source device, a process of shifting the operation mode of the electronic device 101 to a low power state or a sleep state, and a process of stopping the power supply to the electronic device 101.

[0041] Note that the estimation process of the outside air temperature in step S307 may be executed in addition to the elapse of the outside air temperature update time Tr in step S305 when the first temperature information Ta and the third temperature information Tc used for the estimation calculation of the outside air temperature Te are decreasing or when the electronic device 101 is operating with low power consumption (power consumption < power threshold).

[0042] According to the present embodiment, the difference in the heat dissipation state between the part cooled by the cooling unit 107 in the electronic device 101 and the part not cooled by the cooling unit 107 reduces the possibility of a decrease in the estimation accuracy of the outside air temperature Te. In the present embodiment, the timing for performing the estimation calculation of the outside air temperature Te is controlled according to the operating state of the cooling unit 107. Specifically, the outside air temperature update time Tr is changed according to the cooling capacity corresponding to the operating mode of the cooling unit 107. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the outside air temperature Te by the outside air temperature update time Tr corresponding to the operating state of the cooling unit 107.

[0043] In the present embodiment, the outside air temperature update time Tr is determined from FIG. 4 showing the relationship with the operating mode of the cooling unit 107 at the time when the operating state of the cooling unit 107 changes. However, when the timer measurement time Tt, which is the elapsed time until step S304, is shorter than the changed outside air temperature update time Tr, the outside air 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 zero. In this way, by setting the time from immediately before the operating state of the cooling unit 107 changes until the timer measurement time Tt elapses as the outside air temperature update time Tr, it becomes possible to estimate the outside air temperature in a shorter time when the operating state of the cooling unit 107 changes.

[0044] Also, after the operating state of the cooling unit 107 changes in step S304, the outside air temperature update time Tr may be changed by the following formula 3 with Tr1. (Formula 3) Tr = Tr1 - a × Tt a is a weighting coefficient according to the operating state of the cooling unit 107, and it becomes larger as the cooling capacity of the cooling unit 107 is higher.

[0045] In formula 3, the time obtained by subtracting (the time obtained by multiplying the remaining time Tt until the outside air temperature update time Tr1 set before the operating state of the cooling unit 107 changes elapses by a predetermined coefficient a) from the outside air temperature update time Tr according to the operating state of the cooling unit 107 is obtained.

[0046] This enables the estimation of the outside air temperature in a shorter time when the operating state of the cooling unit 107 changes.

[0047] Also, when the outside air temperature is displayed on the display unit 108 and notified to the user in step S307, the reflection of the calculation result of the outside air temperature may be performed step by step as shown in FIG. 5. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), when the outside air temperature is updated from 20°C to 30°C, instead of performing a display with an update of 10°C at a time, for example, by updating every 10 seconds for each 1°C, it is possible to notify the user without giving a sense of discomfort.

[0048] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the outside air temperature when the electronic device 101 is cooled by the cooling unit 107.

[0049] [Other Embodiments] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device through a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. Further, it can also be realized by a circuit (for example, an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0050] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

[0051] The disclosure of this specification includes the following electronic device, control method, and program. [Configuration 1] An electronic device, cooling means for cooling the inside of the electronic device, control means for controlling the operation of the cooling means, and temperature measurement means for measuring the temperature inside the electronic device. The control means performs a process of estimating the outside air temperature in the usage environment of the electronic device based on the temperature information obtained by the temperature measuring means. An electronic device characterized by controlling the timing of performing the estimation process of the outside air temperature according to the operating state of the cooling means. [Configuration 2] The temperature measuring means includes a plurality of thermometers that measure the temperatures of a plurality of parts inside the electronic device. The electronic device according to Configuration 1, wherein the control means performs an estimation calculation of the outside air temperature based on the temperature information of the plurality of thermometers and a predetermined arithmetic formula. [Configuration 3] The electronic device according to Configuration 1 or 2, wherein the operating state of the cooling means includes information regarding the cooling capacity and the cooling location of the cooling means. [Configuration 4] The electronic device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 3, wherein the timing is a time interval for performing the estimation process. [Configuration 5] The electronic device according to Configuration 4, wherein the higher the cooling capacity of the cooling means, the shorter the time interval. [Configuration 6] The time obtained by subtracting, from a preset time interval according to the operating state of the cooling means, or the remaining time until the preset time interval before the operating state of the cooling means changes elapses, or a time obtained by multiplying the remaining time until the preset time interval before the operating state of the cooling means changes elapses by a predetermined coefficient from a preset time interval according to the operating state of the cooling means. The electronic device according to Configuration 4, characterized in that it is. [Configuration 7] It has a notification means for notifying the outside air temperature updated according to the time interval, The electronic device according to any one of Configurations 4 to 6, wherein the control means gradually updates the outside air temperature notified by the notification means. [Configuration 8] The electronic device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 7, wherein the operating state of the cooling means includes a plurality of driving states and a stop state. [Configuration 9] The temperature measuring means includes a thermometer that measures the exterior temperature of the electronic device, the control means obtains a threshold value of the exterior temperature of the electronic device based on the outside air temperature, and when the exterior temperature reaches the threshold value, the operation of the electronic device is restricted. The electronic device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 8. [Configuration 10] The temperature measuring means includes a thermometer that measures the temperature of the heat source of the electronic device, and when the temperature of the heat source reaches a threshold value, the operation of the electronic device is restricted. The electronic device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 8. [Configuration 11] A control method for an electronic device, wherein the electronic device has cooling means for cooling the interior of the electronic device, control means for controlling the operation of the cooling means, and temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature inside the electronic device, and the control method includes a step of performing a process of estimating the outside air temperature in the usage environment of the electronic device based on the temperature information obtained by the temperature measuring means, and a step of controlling the timing of performing the estimation process of the outside air temperature according to the operating state of the cooling means. A control method characterized by this. [Configuration 12] A program for causing a computer to function as the electronic device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 10.

Explanation of Signs

[0052] 101... Electronic device, 103... Control unit, 104... Temperature measurement unit, 107... Cooling unit

Claims

1. An electronic device, cooling means for cooling the interior of the electronic device, control means for controlling the operation of the cooling means, and temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature inside the electronic device, wherein the control means performs a process of estimating the outside air temperature in the usage environment of the electronic device based on the temperature information obtained by the temperature measuring means, and controls the timing for performing the estimation process of the outside air temperature according to the operating state of the cooling means. The electronic device is characterized by this.

2. The temperature measuring means includes a plurality of thermometers for measuring the temperatures of a plurality of parts inside the electronic device, and the control means performs an estimation calculation of the outside air temperature based on the temperature information of the plurality of thermometers and a predetermined arithmetic formula. The electronic device according to claim 1 is characterized by this.

3. The operating state of the cooling means includes information regarding the cooling capacity and the cooling location of the cooling means. The electronic device according to claim 1 is characterized by this.

4. The timing is the time interval for performing the estimation process. The electronic device according to claim 1 is characterized by this.

5. The higher the cooling capacity of the cooling means, the shorter the time interval. The electronic device according to claim 4 is characterized by this.

6. The time interval is a preset time interval according to the operating state of the cooling means, or the remaining time until a preset time interval elapses before the operating state of the cooling means changes, or a time obtained by subtracting a time obtained by multiplying a predetermined coefficient by the remaining time until a preset time interval elapses before the operating state of the cooling means changes from a preset time interval according to the operating state of the cooling means. The electronic device according to claim 4 is characterized by this.

7. having notification means for notifying the outside air temperature updated according to the time interval. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the control means gradually updates the outside air temperature notified by the notification means.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the operating state of the cooling means includes a plurality of driving states and a stop state.

9. The temperature measuring means includes a thermometer that measures the exterior temperature of the electronic device, the control means obtains a threshold value of the exterior temperature of the electronic device based on the outside air temperature, and when the exterior temperature reaches the threshold value, the electronic device restricts its operation. The electronic device according to claim 1.

10. The temperature measuring means includes a thermometer that measures the temperature of the heat source of the electronic device, and when the temperature of the heat source reaches a threshold value, the control means restricts the operation of the electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 1.

11. A control method for an electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes a cooling means for cooling the interior of the electronic device, a control means for controlling the operation of the cooling means, and a temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature inside the electronic device, and the control method includes a step of performing a process of estimating the outside air temperature in the usage environment of the electronic device based on the temperature information obtained by the temperature measuring means, and a step of controlling the timing of performing the estimation process of the outside air temperature according to the operating state of the cooling means. A control method characterized by this.

12. A program for causing a computer to function as the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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