Gateway device

Abstract

In gateway devices intended for vertical use, the temperature rise inside the device is kept to a minimum even when it is used at an angle. [Solution] A gateway device comprising a housing, communication means, an acceleration sensor, detection means for determining whether the housing is tilted based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, and limiting means for restricting the function of the communication means when the detection means determines that the housing is tilted.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a gateway device intended for vertical use. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, routers that connect different networks and gateway devices that provide internet connectivity have become widespread. These gateway devices tend to consume more power due to their support for high-speed wireless and wired communications and the increased performance of their ICs. This increased power consumption can lead to higher internal temperatures, potentially exceeding the operating temperature range of the electronic components and resulting in performance degradation.

[0003] One method for suppressing the internal temperature of a device is to enlarge the enclosure or heat sink. However, in recent years, there has been a strong demand for smaller devices, and significant size increases are generally unacceptable. Another method is to add cooling fans, but this is often unsuitable for gateway devices installed in homes due to cost and noise issues. Therefore, there is a need to effectively suppress temperature rise within a limited enclosure size while utilizing natural cooling.

[0004] From the perspective of promoting heat dissipation inside the device, it is desirable to install the device vertically. This is because vertical installation makes it easier to take in outside air and utilize the natural convection of air inside the device. For this reason, vertical installation has been recommended in gateway device instruction manuals and other documentation.

[0005] However, some users may install the device horizontally. In this case, the heat dissipation efficiency inside the device decreases, leading to high temperatures and potentially reduced performance. Furthermore, since many gateway devices are conventionally rectangular in shape, objects can be placed on top of the device when it is placed horizontally, which further increases the internal temperature.

[0006] Patent Document 1, described below, discloses a technology for detecting tilt using a switch that protrudes from the bottom surface of a device. In this technology, vertical placement is detected when the protruding switch is pressed from the mounting surface, and horizontal placement is detected when the switch remains protruding without being pressed. If horizontal placement is detected, the system will notify the user of the abnormality and forcibly shut off the power supply. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-243861 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] This disclosure addresses the challenge of minimizing the temperature rise inside a gateway device, even when it is used at an angle, in a gateway device intended for vertical use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The gateway device of this disclosure comprises a housing, communication means, an acceleration sensor, detection means for determining whether the housing is tilted based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, and limiting means for restricting the function of the communication means when the detection means determines that the housing is tilted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to this disclosure, when the acceleration sensor determines that the housing is tilted, the functionality of the communication means can be restricted, thereby reducing power consumption and minimizing the rise in temperature inside the device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the gateway device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a front view of the gateway device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a side view of the gateway device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a plan view of the gateway device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a front view showing a state where the gateway device shown in FIG. 1 is placed horizontally. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view schematically showing a state where the gateway device according to the embodiment is placed vertically. [Figure 7] It is a functional block diagram of the gateway device according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control unit in the gateway device of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] It is a perspective view schematically showing a state where the gateway device shown in FIG. 6 is placed horizontally. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing a procedure of function restriction in the gateway device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Common reference numerals in each drawing indicate the same parts unless otherwise specified. In addition, each member and each portion shown in each drawing is schematically depicted, and the size and positional relationship of an actual product are not necessarily accurately represented.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gateway device 10 according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a side view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof. The gateway device 10 of the present embodiment includes a housing 20 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose width is smaller than its height, and is installed vertically with a bottom surface 23 facing downward. Various switches 24 and indicators 25 are provided on a front surface of the housing 20 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). Two side surfaces 21 each having a larger area than the bottom surface 23 are each formed with a convex portion 22 whose central portion protrudes outward.

[0014] Figure 5 is a front view showing the gateway device 10 of this embodiment in a horizontal position. When the gateway device 10 is installed horizontally, one point on the bottom surface 23 and the apex of the protrusion 22 come into contact with the installation surface S, causing the gateway device 10 to wobble and become unstable. This makes it difficult for users to install the gateway device 10 horizontally. Furthermore, when the gateway device 10 is installed horizontally as shown in this figure, it is difficult to place an object on top of it because there is also a protrusion 22 on the upper side.

[0015] Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the gateway device 10 according to the embodiment in a vertical orientation. A flat circuit board 30 is housed inside the housing 20. This circuit board 30 is equipped with a communication means 40, an acceleration sensor 50, and a control unit 100. The communication means 40 communicates with wired connected devices via a wired connection unit (not shown) (for example, communication using Ethernet®). The acceleration sensor 50 detects the acceleration of the gateway device 10 in the depth direction (X direction), width direction (Y direction), and height direction (Z direction). The control unit 100 controls the functions of the gateway device 10, as will be described later.

[0016] Figure 7 is a functional block diagram of the gateway device 10 according to this embodiment. The control unit 100 has a detection means 200 and a limiting means 300 as functional blocks. The detection means 200 determines whether the housing 20 is in a tilted state from the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 50. The limiting means 300 restricts the function of the communication means 40 when the detection means 200 determines that the housing 20 is in a tilted state. Restricting the function of the communication means 40 may include, for example, reducing the communication speed. For example, if the normal communication speed is 10 Gbps, the communication speed can be reduced to 1 Gbps in a tilted state to reduce power consumption and suppress the rise in internal temperature. As a function restriction operation when tilt is detected, the communication means 40 may, for example, transmit a signal to the communication partner terminal indicating that its communication speed is 1 Gbps during auto-negotiation.

[0017] As shown in the hardware configuration of Figure 8, the control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, RAM (Random Access Memory) 130, and storage device 150. Each component is connected to the others via a bus 190 so that they can communicate with each other.

[0018] The CPU 110 is the central processing unit, which executes various programs and controls various parts. Specifically, the CPU 110 reads a program from the storage device 150 and executes the program using the RAM 130 as a workspace. The CPU 110 controls the gateway device 10 according to the program stored in the storage device 150.

[0019] RAM 130 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage device 150 is configured as storage using an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or flash memory, and stores various programs, including the operating system, and various data.

[0020] With the above hardware configuration, the control unit 100 functions as the detection means 200 and limiting means 300 described above.

[0021] Here, if we let G be the vertical gravitational acceleration at the location where the gateway device 10 is installed, then as shown in Figure 6, when the housing 20 is placed vertically, the gravitational acceleration in the X and Y directions of the acceleration sensor 50 is 0, and the gravitational acceleration in the Z direction is G. In other words, when the gravitational accelerations in the X, Y, and Z directions detected by the acceleration sensor 50 are 0, 0, and G, respectively, the detection means 200 can determine that the housing 20 is not tilted.

[0022] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 9, when the housing 20 is placed horizontally, the gravitational acceleration in the X direction of the acceleration sensor 50 remains 0, but the gravitational acceleration in the Y direction becomes G, and the gravitational acceleration in the Z direction becomes 0.

[0023] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for limiting functionality in a gateway device according to an embodiment. First, in step S100, the communication means 40 communicates at a normal speed (for example, 10 Gbps).

[0024] Then, in step S110, the detection means 200 detects the value of gravitational acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor 50. Then, in step S120, the detection means 200 determines whether the detected value of gravitational acceleration is within an acceptable range.

[0025] If the value of gravitational acceleration is within the acceptable range, the detection means 200 determines that the housing 20 is not in a tilted state, returns to the stage shown in S100, and the communication means 40 continues communication at the normal speed. This communication at the normal speed continues until the value of gravitational acceleration detected in the stage shown in S110 is determined to be outside the acceptable range in the stage shown in S120.

[0026] On the other hand, if the value of gravitational acceleration is outside the acceptable range, the detection means 200 determines that the housing 20 is in a tilted state, and in the step shown in S130, the limiting means 300 limits the communication speed of the communication means 40 to a slower speed than normal (for example, 1 Gbps). At this time, an indicator 25 (see Figures 1 and 2) provided on the front of the housing 20 may be used to indicate that the communication speed is being limited. This reduction in communication speed continues until the value of gravitational acceleration detected in the step shown in S110 is determined to be within the acceptable range in the step shown in S120.

[0027] Here, an example of how to determine whether or not the acceptable range is present at the stage shown in S120 is shown below. From the state shown in Figure 6, when tilted by an angle θ around the X direction, the gravitational acceleration a in the X, Y, and Z directions detected by the acceleration sensor 50 x a y and a z teeth, a x =0 ay =Gsinθ a z =Gcosθ This gives the above formula.

[0028] Further, when the casing is tilted by an angle θ about the y-direction from the state shown in FIG. 6, the gravitational acceleration a in each of the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction detected by the acceleration sensor 50 x , a y and a z are expressed as a x =Gsinθ a y =0 a z =Gcosθ This gives the above formulas.

[0029] Therefore, assuming that the allowable tilt angle from the vertical installation state of the casing 20 is up to θ, a x ≦Gsinθ, a y ≦Gsinθ, and a z ≧Gcosθ in this case, the detection means 200 determines that the casing 20 is not in a tilted state, and no functional restriction is implemented by the restriction means 300.

[0030] On the other hand, a x >Gsinθ, a y >Gsinθ, or a z <Gcosθ in this case, the restriction means 300 determines that the casing 20 is in a tilted state, and functional restriction by the restriction means 300 is executed.

[0031] While preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear to any person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these are also understood to fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0032] For example, in the above embodiment, a configuration in which the communication means 40 is connected by wire was described. However, the communication means 40 may communicate with other terminals by wireless communication, or by a method that combines wired and wireless communication. In this case, as an example of limiting the function of the communication means 40, the limiting means 300 may use a slower communication standard that reduces the link-up speed with other terminals from the normal state, or limit the number of antennas used for wireless communication. Furthermore, the limiting means 300 may use a combination of the aforementioned wireless communication limitation and the wired communication limitation described in the above embodiment as limitations on the function of the communication means 40.

[0033] Furthermore, although the above embodiment was described as a single storage area, multiple storage devices 150 may be referenced, and the information processing according to this embodiment may be realized. For example, the storage device 150 may have an additional dedicated ROM for storing the BIOS or firmware necessary for starting the system. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 10 Gateway device 20 Housing 21 Side 22 Protrusion 23 Bottom 24 Switch 25 Indicator 30 circuit boards 40 Communication methods 50 Accelerometer 100 Control Unit 110 CPU 130 RAM 150 storage devices, 190 buses 200 Detection means 300 Restrictive measures

Claims

1. The casing and Communication methods, Accelerometer and A detection means for determining whether the housing is in a tilted state based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, A limiting means that restricts the function of the communication means when the detection means determines that the housing is in an inclined state, A gateway device equipped with the following features.

2. The gateway device according to claim 1, wherein the limiting means reduces the communication speed of the communication means.

3. The housing has two sides that are larger in area than the bottom surface, Each of the two aforementioned sides has a protruding portion that extends outward. The gateway device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

Images