Information processing device

Abstract

To provide an information processing device that can reduce power consumption. [Solution] The information processing device of this embodiment comprises at least one internal unit, a power supply circuit, a power supply control unit, and a central control unit. The power supply control unit controls the power supply circuit. The central control unit outputs a first signal to the power supply control unit to notify that an external device has been connected. In response to the first signal, the power supply control unit controls the power supply circuit and increases the voltage of the power supplied to the external device and at least one internal unit.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] This embodiment relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Various external devices may be connected to an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer) via a connector. The information processing apparatus supplies power to the external device connected via the connector.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] If the power consumption of an external device connected to a connector is large, the power supplied from the information processing apparatus to the external device also becomes large. Therefore, depending on the magnitude of the power consumption of the connected external device, there is a risk that a voltage drop will occur in the information processing apparatus and the connection with the external device will be disconnected.

[0005] As a countermeasure against this, a method is known in which the voltage of the power supply circuit of the information processing apparatus is increased in advance by the amount of power supplied to the external device regardless of the presence or absence of the connection of the external device. However, this method has a problem of increasing the power consumption of the information processing apparatus because the voltage of the power supply circuit is made higher than the supply to the internal unit.

[0006] An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of suppressing power consumption.​​​​​​An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises at least one internal unit, a power supply circuit, a power supply control unit, and a central control unit. The power supply control unit controls the power supply circuit. The central control unit outputs a first signal to the power supply control unit indicating that an external device has been connected. In response to the first signal, the power supply control unit controls the power supply circuit and increases the voltage of the power supplied to the external device and at least one internal unit.

[0008] In the information processing device, the power supply circuit has a switch that switches the circuit between a plurality of resistors with different resistance values. The power supply control unit outputs a second signal to the power supply circuit that switches the switch in response to the first signal. The power supply circuit switches the switch in response to the second signal to increase the voltage of the power supplied to the external device and at least one of the internal units.

[0009] In the aforementioned information processing device, the multiple resistors are a first resistor and a second resistor with a lower resistance value than the first resistor. The power supply circuit switches the switch to the second resistor side in response to the second signal, increasing the voltage of the power supplied to external devices and at least one internal unit by an amount corresponding to the difference in resistance values ​​between the first resistor and the second resistor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the above-described aspect of the present invention, the information processing device can suppress power consumption. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the configuration of the microcontroller and power supply circuit of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the control flow of an information processing device to which an external device is connected according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] [Embodiment] The embodiments of the information processing device 1 will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The configuration of the embodiments described below, as well as the operations and results (effects) brought about by said configuration, are merely examples and are not limited to the contents described below. In this specification, ordinal numbers are used only to distinguish parts and components and do not indicate order or priority.

[0013] First, with reference to Figure 1, an overview of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 1 described in this embodiment is an example of a desktop personal computer or a notebook personal computer that can connect external devices via connectors.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing device 1 comprises a connector 11, a CPU 12, a microcontroller 13, two internal units 15, and a power supply circuit 17. An external device 2 is connected to the connector 11 of the information processing device 1.

[0015] In the following explanation, the insertion of the plug of external device 2 into connector 11 may be described as external device 2 being connected to connector 11. In Figure 1, the arrow extending from external device 2 indicates the operation of connecting external device 2 to connector 11 of information processing device 1.

[0016] Connector 11 is, for example, a connector compliant with the USB Type-A 2.0 serial bus standard (hereinafter referred to as the standard). Connector 11 is electrically connected to external device 2 when a plug (not shown) of external device 2, which complies with the same standard as connector 11, is inserted into it.

[0017] The standard of the connector 11 installed in the information processing apparatus 1 is not limited to the above, and for example, it may conform to a standard such as USB Type-A 3.0, or it may be a Lightning connector (registered trademark).

[0018] The CPU 12 performs predetermined arithmetic processing according to a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory), an auxiliary storage device, etc. (not shown). Also, the CPU 12 outputs a connection signal notifying that the external device 2 is connected to the connector 11 to the microcomputer 13. The CPU 12 is an example of a central control unit. The connection signal is an example of a first signal.

[0019] Here, the CPU 12 detects that the external device 2 is connected to the connector 11 by, for example, a device manager conforming to the OS (Operating System) standard.

[0020] The CPU 12 has a connection monitoring application (not shown) that monitors the connection of the external device 2. The connection monitoring application is a state monitoring application (resident application) that monitors that the device manager detects the connection of the external device 2. When the connection monitoring application recognizes that the device manager has detected the connection of the external device 2, the CPU 12 outputs a connection signal to the microcomputer 13.

[0021] The microcomputer 13 is an integrated circuit that performs various processes according to a program, and executes various arithmetic processes and control processes. The microcomputer 13 controls the power supply circuit 17. Also, the microcomputer 13 controls the power supply circuit 17 in response to the connection signal, and raises the voltage of the power supplied to the external device 2 and at least one internal unit 15. Details thereof will be described later. The microcomputer is an example of a power control unit.

[0022] The two internal units 15 are, for example, a hard disk drive, a motherboard, etc. not shown in the information processing apparatus 1. On the motherboard, for example, a CPU 12, a cooling fan, and a memory are mounted. The internal units 15 operate with the power supplied from the power circuit 17. Note that the internal units 15 are not limited to two, and may include other devices and apparatuses.

[0023] The external device 2 is a device connected to the connector 11 via a plug. The plug of the external device 2 complies with the USB Type-A 2.0 standard, similar to the connector 11. The plug of the external device 2 may comply with a standard other than the above as long as it is the same standard as the connector 11, or may be a Lightning connector (registered trademark).

[0024] When the external device 2 is connected to the connector 11, the external device 2 is supplied with operating power from the information processing apparatus 1 via the connector 11. That is, the external device 2 is configured to be supplied with power from the information processing apparatus 1 by so-called bus power.

[0025] Next, referring to FIG. 2, the configuration of the power circuit 17 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the microcomputer 13 and the power circuit 17 of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The power circuit 17 is a circuit configuration that generates the operating voltages required for each internal unit 15 and the external device 2 of the information processing apparatus 1 using a DC voltage supplied from an AC / DC adapter or a battery not shown. Further, the power circuit 17 controls the power supplied to the information processing apparatus 1 and the external device 2. The power circuit 17 is disposed, for example, on a substrate not shown in the information processing apparatus 1.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the power circuit 17 has a control unit 171 and a control IC 172 connected to the control unit 171. The control unit 171 is connected to the microcomputer 13.

[0027] The control unit 171 includes a first resistor 171a, a second resistor 171b, and an analog switch IC 171c. The first resistor 171a and the second resistor 171b have different resistance values. In this embodiment, the resistance value of the second resistor 171b is smaller than the resistance value of the first resistor 171a. The first resistor 171a and the second resistor 171b are examples of resistors.

[0028] The analog switch IC 171c switches the circuit between multiple resistors with different resistance values ​​(first resistor 171a and second resistor 171b). The analog switch IC 171c connects the microcontroller 13 to either the first resistor 171a or the second resistor 171b. The microcontroller 13 outputs a switching signal to the power supply circuit 17 to switch the analog switch IC 171c in response to the connection signal.

[0029] The power supply circuit 17 switches the analog switch IC 171c to the second resistor 171b side in response to the switching signal. As a result, the circuit switches to the second resistor 171b side of multiple resistors (first resistor 171a and second resistor 171b) with different resistance values, and the power supply circuit 17 increases the voltage of the power supplied to the external device 2 and at least one internal unit 15 by an amount corresponding to the difference in resistance values ​​between the first resistor 171a and the second resistor 171b. The analog switch IC 171c is an example of a switch.

[0030] For example, when the analog switch IC 171c is OFF, the microcontroller 13 is connected to the first resistor 171a and not to the second resistor 171b. Then, when the analog switch IC 171c is turned ON by a switching signal, the microcontroller 13 is connected to the second resistor 171b and not to the first resistor 171a. Figure 2 shows the circuit when the analog switch IC 171c is OFF and the microcontroller 13 is connected to the first resistor 171a.

[0031] The control IC 172 is a control circuit that has a feedback circuit to maintain a constant voltage in the power supply circuit 17. The control IC 172 is connected to the control unit 171. More specifically, the control IC 172 is electrically connected to a resistor (first resistor 171a or second resistor 171b) connected to the microcontroller 13 by the analog switch IC 171c, and performs control to maintain a constant voltage of a magnitude corresponding to the resistance value of the connected resistor. Since this control is the same as conventional control, a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0032] As described above, the resistance value of the second resistor 171b is smaller than that of the first resistor 171a. Therefore, when the analog switch IC 171c switches from the state in which the microcontroller 13 is connected to the first resistor 171a to the state in which the microcontroller 13 is connected to the second resistor 171b, the resistance value of the power supply circuit 17 decreases. As a result, the voltage in the control IC 172 circuit increases.

[0033] Here, the voltage in the control IC 172 circuit increases by an amount corresponding to the difference in resistance between the first resistor 171a and the second resistor 171b. That is, the power supply circuit 17 switches the analog switch IC 171c to the second resistor 171b side in response to the switching signal, and increases the voltage of the power supplied to the external device 2 and at least one internal unit 15 by an amount corresponding to the difference in resistance between the first resistor 171a and the second resistor 171b.

[0034] Conventional information processing devices do not have the power supply circuit 17 of this embodiment, which includes an analog switch IC 171c, etc. Therefore, the voltage necessary to operate the internal unit and external devices is constantly supplied from the power supply circuit. In other words, a higher voltage than that of the information processing device 1 of this embodiment is always supplied from the power supply circuit to the internal unit, regardless of whether external devices are connected or not, so the power consumption of the information processing device is relatively high.

[0035] Furthermore, in conventional information processing devices, if the configuration is such that only the voltage necessary to operate the internal unit is constantly supplied from the power supply circuit to the internal unit, when an external device is connected to the information processing device, the voltage supplied from the power supply circuit to the external device may be insufficient, causing a voltage drop in the power supply circuit. When a voltage drop occurs in the power supply circuit, the information processing device may not be able to maintain the connection with the external device and may disconnect.

[0036] On the other hand, in this embodiment, when no external device 2 is connected, the microcontroller 13 is connected to the first resistor 171a, and only the voltage necessary for the operation of the information processing device 1 (internal unit 15) is supplied to the power supply circuit 17.

[0037] Furthermore, when an external device 2 is connected to the information processing device 1, the analog switch IC 171c switches, connecting the microcontroller 13 to the second resistor 171b. As a result, the power supply circuit 17 supplies a voltage to the internal unit 15 and the external device 2 that is the voltage required for the information processing device 1 (internal unit 15) to operate, plus the voltage required for the external device 2 to operate. Therefore, even when the external device 2 is connected to the information processing device 1 while the microcontroller 13 is connected to the second resistor 171b, no voltage drop occurs in the power supply circuit 17.

[0038] In other words, when the external device 2 is connected to the information processing device 1, the CPU 12 outputs a connection signal to the microcontroller 13, and the microcontroller 13 controls the power supply circuit 17 in response to the connection signal. As a result, the information processing device 1 is supplied with the voltage from the power supply circuit 17 to operate the external device 2 in addition to the internal unit 15. This allows the information processing device 1 to increase the voltage of the power supply circuit 17 only when the external device 2 is connected, thereby suppressing power consumption.

[0039] [Control flow of information processing equipment] Next, with reference to Figure 3, the details of the control flow by the information processing device 1 will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the control flow of the information processing device 1 to which the external device 2 is connected according to this embodiment. The flowchart in Figure 3 shows the control flow from when the external device 2 is connected to the information processing device 1 until the microcontroller 13 increases the voltage of the power supply circuit 17.

[0040] In step S101 in Figure 3, when the CPU 12 detects the connection of external device 2 via the device manager, the connection monitoring application recognizes that the device manager has detected the connection of external device 2.

[0041] Then, in step S102, the CPU 12, triggered by the connection monitoring application recognizing the connection of external device 2, outputs a connection signal to the microcontroller 13 to notify that the connection of external device 2 has been detected.

[0042] Next, in step S103, the microcontroller 13 controls the power supply circuit 17 in response to the connection signal output from the CPU 12 and outputs a switching signal to the power supply circuit 17 to switch the analog switch IC 171c.

[0043] Then, when a switching signal is output from the microcontroller 13, in step S104, the power supply circuit 17 switches the analog switch IC 171c to the second resistor 171b side in response to the switching signal, and increases the voltage of the power supplied to the external device 2 and at least one internal unit 15 by an amount corresponding to the difference in resistance values ​​between the first resistor 171a and the second resistor 171b. Control by the information processing device 1 is performed through the above procedure.

[0044] The information processing device 1 of the above embodiment comprises at least one internal unit 15, a power supply circuit 17, a microcontroller 13, and a CPU 12. The microcontroller 13 controls the power supply circuit 17. The CPU 12 outputs a connection signal to the microcontroller 13 to notify that an external device 2 has been connected. In response to the connection signal, the microcontroller 13 controls the power supply circuit 17 and increases the voltage of the power supplied to the external device 2 and at least one internal unit 15.

[0045] With the above configuration, the microcontroller 13 can control the power supply circuit 17 and increase its voltage only when an external device 2 is connected to the information processing device 1 and a voltage increase in the power supply circuit 17 is necessary to ensure the voltage supplied to the internal unit 15 and the external device 2. Consequently, the information processing device 1 can suppress power consumption.

[0046] In this embodiment, the power supply circuit 17 has an analog switch IC 171c that switches the circuit between a plurality of resistors 171a and 171b with different resistance values. The microcontroller 13 outputs a switching signal to the power supply circuit 17 that switches the analog switch IC 171c in response to a connection signal. The power supply circuit 17 switches the analog switch IC 171c in response to the switching signal and increases the voltage of the power supplied to the external device 2 and at least one internal unit 15.

[0047] With the above configuration, the power supply circuit 17 can increase its voltage only when an external device 2 is connected to the information processing device 1 and a voltage increase in the power supply circuit 17 is necessary to secure the voltage supplied to the internal unit 15 and the external device 2. This is achieved by switching the analog switch IC 171c. Consequently, the information processing device 1 can reduce its power consumption.

[0048] In this embodiment, the plurality of resistors are a first resistor 171a and a second resistor 171b having a lower resistance value than the first resistor 171a. The power supply circuit 17 responds to the switching signal by switching the analog switch IC 171c to the second resistor 171b side, and increases the voltage of the power supplied to the external device 2 and at least one internal unit 15 by an amount corresponding to the difference in resistance values ​​between the first resistor 171a and the second resistor 171b.

[0049] With the above configuration, the power supply circuit 17 can increase its voltage only when an external device 2 is connected to the information processing device 1 and a voltage increase in the power supply circuit 17 is necessary to secure the voltage supplied to the internal unit 15 and the external device 2. This is achieved by switching the analog switch IC 171c to the second resistor 171b side (the resistor with the lower resistance value). Consequently, the information processing device 1 can suppress power consumption.

[0050] [Differentiation] The control unit 171 may have a third resistor (not shown) with a resistance value different from the first resistor 171a and the second resistor 171b. In this case, the analog switch IC 171c switches the circuit between the first resistor 171a, the second resistor 171b, and the third resistor.

[0051] This configuration allows the power supply circuit 17 to switch the analog switch IC 171c in multiple stages in response to the switching signal. Consequently, the information processing device 1 can change the voltage rise amount according to the magnitude of the operating voltage of the connected external device 2.

[0052] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 1. Information Processing Device 2 External equipment 12 CPU 13 Microcontroller 15 Internal Units 17 Power circuit 171a 1st resistor 171b 2nd resistor 171c Analog Switch IC

Claims

1. At least one internal unit, Power supply circuit, A power control unit that controls the aforementioned power supply circuit, It comprises a central control unit, The central control unit outputs a first signal to the power control unit to notify that an external device has been connected. The power control unit controls the power circuit in response to the first signal and increases the voltage of the power supplied to the external device and at least one of the internal units. Information processing device.

2. The power supply circuit has a switch that switches the circuit between multiple resistors with different resistance values. The power control unit outputs a second signal to the power circuit that switches the switch in response to the first signal. The power supply circuit switches the switch in response to the second signal to increase the voltage of the power supplied to the external device and at least one of the internal units. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned plurality of resistors are a first resistor and a second resistor having a lower resistance value than the first resistor. The power supply circuit, in response to the second signal, switches the switch to the second resistor side, thereby increasing the voltage of the power supplied to the external device and at least one of the internal units by an amount corresponding to the difference in resistance between the first resistor and the second resistor. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

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